akashic
1876–2024
Thurston County, Washington
Thurston County·Washington

Thurston County has voted Democratic for as long as anyone can remember.

Home to Olympia, where state-capital workers anchor a durable Democratic lean

18762024·38 elections
Thurston County, Washington · OceanLoop · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
D+20
in 2024
Archetype
Democratic loyalist
since the recent cycles
Population
299,067
2024 ACS
Most similar
Portsmouth city
VA · similarity 0.99
283 precincts · 164,537 votes cast
Harris · D+20
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024D
+20.3%
95,66362,282164,537
2020D
+18.6%
96,60865,277168,134
2016D
+15.0%
68,79848,624134,191
2012D
+19.4%
74,03749,287127,740
2008D
+21.7%
75,88248,366126,709
2004D
+13.0%
62,65047,992112,789
2000D
+10.8%
50,46739,92497,422
1996D
+18.0%
45,52229,83587,280
1992D
+15.0%
38,29325,64384,569
1988D
+2.8%
33,86031,98066,930
1984R
−12.3%
26,84034,44262,045
1980R
−10.7%
20,50826,36954,823
1976D
+0.6%
21,24721,00044,056
1972R
−19.9%
14,59622,29738,792
1968D
+1.6%
14,22813,74230,499
1964D
+30.4%
17,5789,35127,021
1960R
−9.0%
11,62013,92125,606
1956R
−17.5%
9,89714,09324,009
1952R
−17.4%
9,76413,90423,840
1948D
+4.6%
10,4619,51120,804
1944D
+10.2%
9,7087,90017,766
1940D
+20.6%
11,0927,27518,573
1936D
+39.4%
10,6474,42515,775
1932D
+15.1%
6,3084,24113,722
1928R
−40.5%
3,0137,20310,351
1924R
−47.1%
9435,1258,871
1920R
−34.3%
1,3673,8997,388
1916R
−8.4%
2,6583,2236,748
1912R
−7.6%
1,4561,9376,311
1908R
−28.8%
9641,9403,387
1904R
−46.9%
6682,1213,096
1900R
−13.5%
9781,2982,379
1896D
+14.6%
1,4151,0522,489
1892R
−9.3%
8101,0432,501
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
Irish
0.7%
African American
2.6%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Other Christian
20.3%
Catholic & Orthodox
8.2%
Pentecostal & Holiness
4.1%
Mainline Protestant
1.9%
Baptist
0.8%
Non-Christian
0.7%
Methodist
0.5%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 63.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Thurston County's identity is shaped by its role as Washington's seat of government — public-sector employment keeps the electorate college-educated and Democratic-leaning, with Biden and Harris each carrying it by roughly 20 points.

The Democratic margin in Thurston County reached its widest at thirty-nine points in 1936. The margin in 2024 was twenty points — still decisive.

Thurston County's loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $96,563, a 72% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 299,067 together describe a community whose political habits are deeply settled. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Portsmouth city and Grand Isle County.