HarrisDemocratic40.2%30,231TrumpRepublican57.6%43,352KennedyIndependent1.3%965
R+17.4- Lead
- 13,121
- Total
- 75,239
- vs nation
- R+16.0
- Turnout
- 53.8%
Akashiccounty
Kanawha County, WV
Office (updates table and map)
President margin by year
Place winner margin
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
The precinct map shows the 2024 presidential vote; the timeline scrubs the county’s overall result across 1892–2024.
President results by year
2024 turnout 53.8% of 140,362 citizens 18+
BidenDemocratic41.8%34,344TrumpRepublican56.4%46,398JorgensenLibertarian1.5%1,224
R+14.7- Lead
- 12,054
- Total
- 82,250
- vs nation
- R+19.1
- Turnout
- 58.1%
ClintonDemocratic36.8%28,263TrumpRepublican57.0%43,850JohnsonLibertarian3.2%2,494
R+20.3- Lead
- 15,587
- Total
- 76,888
- vs nation
- R+22.4
- Turnout
- 52.1%
ObamaDemocratic43.1%32,480RomneyRepublican54.9%41,364OtherAll other candidates1.9%1,468
R+11.8- Lead
- 8,884
- Total
- 75,312
- vs nation
- R+15.7
- Turnout
- —
ObamaDemocratic49.2%40,594McCainRepublican49.7%40,952OtherAll other candidates1.1%934
R+0.4- Lead
- 358
- Total
- 82,480
- vs nation
- R+7.7
- Turnout
- —
KerryDemocratic48.9%43,010BushRepublican50.5%44,430OtherAll other candidates0.6%488
R+1.6- Lead
- 1,420
- Total
- 87,928
- vs nation
- D+0.8
- Turnout
- —
GoreDemocratic50.2%38,524BushRepublican48.0%36,809NaderGreen1.2%948
D+2.2- Lead
- 1,715
- Total
- 76,670
- vs nation
- D+1.7
- Turnout
- —
ClintonDemocratic52.8%40,357DoleRepublican38.3%29,311PerotReform8.4%6,412
D+14.4- Lead
- 11,046
- Total
- 76,495
- vs nation
- D+5.9
- Turnout
- —
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+17.4MIT Election Lab
- Population
- 176,5372024 5-year
- Population density
- 196 / sq mi2024 5-year · TIGER/Line
- Land area
- 902 sq miTIGER/Line
- Median household income
- $60,9432024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 85.9%2024 5-year
- Black
- 4.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 1.6%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+29.5 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+26.2 in 1972MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Franklin County, KY · twin score 83.0
Midterm durability
Total general-election participants divided by same-year citizen voting-age population. These are total ballots or participating voters—not presidential candidate votes.
- 2024 total turnout
- 53.8%75,538 participants ÷ 140,362 CVAP
- 2020→2022 drop-off
- +23.1 ptsPresidential-dependent
- Drop-off versus state
- +1.7 ptsPositive means a larger decline than the statewide pattern
- Mechanical 2026 scenario
- 30.7%–38.4%Recent-cycle and two-cycle persistence scenarios; not a forecast
| Election | Participants | CVAP | Turnout | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 · Presidential | 78,055 | 149,767 | 52.1% | A/A |
| 2018 · Midterm | 65,216 | 146,910 | 44.4% | A/A |
| 2020 · Presidential | 83,433 | 143,553 | 58.1% | A/A |
| 2022 · Midterm | 50,059 | 142,902 | 35.0% | A/A |
| 2024 · Presidential | 75,538 | 140,362 | 53.8% | C/A |
Sources and methods
- 2016: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 293/111.
- 2018: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 297/138.
- 2020: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 301/2.
- 2022: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 306/183.
- 2024: numerator source 159, denominator source 157; top ticket votes; canonical-complete-contest-floor-v1; allocation share 0.0%; series 156/228.
presidential history
Party record book
Kanawha County, WV · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 · 34 presidential cycles
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Lyndon B. Johnson1964
64.8%
70,511 votes · D+29.5
Runner-up · Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1940 · 59.1%
Republican
Richard Nixon1972
63.1%
65,021 votes · R+26.2
Runner-up · William McKinley, 1900 · 60.2%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Lyndon B. Johnson1964
70,511votes
64.8% of the vote · D+29.5
Runner-up · Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1940 · 57,932 votes
Republican
Richard Nixon1972
65,021votes
63.1% of the vote · R+26.2
Runner-up · Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956 · 58,597 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
John W. Davis1924
+19.0pts D vs U.S.
Place R+6.2 · U.S. R+25.2
Runner-up · James M. Cox, 1920 · +15.9 pts
Republican
Donald Trump2016
+22.4pts R vs U.S.
Place R+20.3 · U.S. D+2.1
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · +19.1 pts
U.S. House elections · 2 House
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
U.S. House
Each row shows U.S. House votes counted inside this Place. “Vote lead” is the local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
voter registration
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Party registration · 2026R+3.3
Presidential vote · 2024R+17.4
Registration leans Republican; the presidential vote runs 14 points more Republican than the rolls.
119,456 registered voters · 2026
domestic migration
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
−126 net domestic migration · 2025
20112025
Net −14,250 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $47,771 in average income, against $76,128 for residents who stayed — 37% lower. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+45.0 on average — 28 points more Republican-leaning than Kanawha County, WV itself (R+17.4).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Putnam County, WV515R+46.3
- Cabell County, WV186R+21.9
- Boone County, WV100R+57.4
- Fayette County, WV98R+41.8
- Jackson County, WV87R+56.2
- Raleigh County, WV82R+54.3
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Putnam County, WV557
- Cabell County, WV203
- Monongalia County, WV102
- Jackson County, WV99
- Boone County, WV82
- Fayette County, WV68
Migration is one input to a place’s political change, not its cause — a shift can also come from residents changing their minds, generational turnover, or turnout. These figures describe the places people moved between; they do not measure how any mover voted.
| Year | Net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2011 | −463 |
| 2012 | +40 |
| 2013 | −487 |
| 2014 | −1,067 |
| 2015 | −1,708 |
| 2016 | −1,767 |
| 2017 | −2,308 |
| 2018 | −2,262 |
| 2019 | −1,633 |
| 2021 | −892 |
| 2022 | −969 |
| 2023 | −437 |
| 2024 | −171 |
| 2025 | −126 |
Once a Democratic stronghold anchored by organized labor and the state capital, Kanawha County has shifted decisively rightward over two decades, mirroring West Virginia's broader realignment while remaining the state's most populous county.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 29.5 points in 1964 and a Republican high of 26.2 points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 2.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 17.4 points.
A population of 176,537, a 86% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $60,943 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Franklin County and Cabell County.
Political twins — counties
The counties whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Franklin County
Kentucky
83.0twin score
2000–2008 trajectory12-yr trend≠ American ancestry
Cabell County
West Virginia
82.5twin score
2000–2024 trajectory12-yr trend
Lane County
Oregon
80.2twin score
2000–2004 trajectorypopulation scale12-yr trend≠ 2024 margin
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Browse places by community — income, education, race & ethnicity, language — all community cuts →
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Kanawha County, West Virginia. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/54039/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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Frequently asked questions
How did Kanawha County, West Virginia vote in 2024?
In 2024, Kanawha County, West Virginia voted Republican by 17.4 points (R+17.4), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 75,239 votes cast, 30,231 went Democratic and 43,352 went Republican.
When did Kanawha County, West Virginia last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Kanawha County, West Virginia voted Democratic was 2000.
How many people live in Kanawha County, West Virginia?
Kanawha County, West Virginia has a population of 176,537 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Kanawha County, West Virginia?
Median household income in Kanawha County, West Virginia is $60,943 — below the national median of $80,734. The West Virginia state median is $59,608.
What is the political history of Kanawha County, West Virginia?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Kanawha County, West Virginia from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 14 went Democratic and 19 went Republican.