HarrisDemocratic19.1%1,036TrumpRepublican79.4%4,310KennedyIndependent1.0%54
R+60.4- Lead
- 3,274
- Total
- 5,425
- vs nation
- R+58.9
- Turnout
- 37.6%
Akashiccounty
McDowell County, WV
Office (updates table and map)
President margin by year
Place winner margin
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
President results by year
2024 turnout 37.6% of 14,439 citizens 18+
BidenDemocratic20.4%1,333TrumpRepublican78.9%5,148JorgensenLibertarian0.4%29
R+58.4- Lead
- 3,815
- Total
- 6,527
- vs nation
- R+62.9
- Turnout
- 45.9%
ClintonDemocratic23.0%1,438TrumpRepublican74.1%4,629JohnsonLibertarian1.4%90
R+51.1- Lead
- 3,191
- Total
- 6,246
- vs nation
- R+53.2
- Turnout
- 39.3%
ObamaDemocratic34.1%2,109RomneyRepublican64.0%3,959OtherAll other candidates1.9%120
R+29.9- Lead
- 1,850
- Total
- 6,188
- vs nation
- R+33.8
- Turnout
- —
ObamaDemocratic53.3%3,430McCainRepublican44.8%2,882OtherAll other candidates1.8%118
D+8.5- Lead
- 548
- Total
- 6,430
- vs nation
- D+1.3
- Turnout
- —
KerryDemocratic61.7%4,501BushRepublican37.8%2,762OtherAll other candidates0.5%36
D+23.8- Lead
- 1,739
- Total
- 7,299
- vs nation
- D+26.3
- Turnout
- —
GoreDemocratic66.3%4,845BushRepublican32.2%2,348NaderGreen0.9%67
D+34.2- Lead
- 2,497
- Total
- 7,303
- vs nation
- D+33.7
- Turnout
- —
ClintonDemocratic73.0%5,989DoleRepublican18.9%1,550PerotReform8.0%655
D+54.1- Lead
- 4,439
- Total
- 8,208
- vs nation
- D+45.6
- Turnout
- —
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+60.4MIT Election Lab
- Population
- 17,9432024 5-year
- Median household income
- $31,5592024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 86.5%2024 5-year
- Black
- 8.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 2.1%2024 5-year
- County seat
- Welch
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+66.1 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+60.4 in 2024MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Logan County, WV · twin score 91.1
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
- 37.6%5,435 participants ÷ 14,439 CVAP
- 2020→2022 drop-off
- +22.4 ptsPersistently low turnout
- Drop-off versus state
- +1.0 ptsPositive means a larger decline than the statewide pattern
- Mechanical 2026 scenario
- 15.3%–22.4%Recent-cycle and two-cycle persistence scenarios; not a forecast
| Election | Participants | CVAP | Turnout | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 · Presidential | 6,371 | 16,201 | 39.3% | A/A |
| 2018 · Midterm | 4,716 | 15,112 | 31.2% | A/A |
| 2020 · Presidential | 6,527 | 14,234 | 45.9% | C/A |
| 2022 · Midterm | 3,481 | 14,817 | 23.5% | A/A |
| 2024 · Presidential | 5,435 | 14,439 | 37.6% | A/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 159, denominator source 157; top ticket votes; canonical-complete-contest-floor-v1; allocation share 0.0%; series 152/2.
- 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 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 311/228.
Precinct data
Results by precinct
33 precincts · 5,425 votes
Precinct boundaries and identifiers are cycle-specific. This table does not join rows across years without a validated crosswalk.
| Precinct -105105 | 24 | 302 | 5 | 331 | 7.3% | 91.2% | R+84.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precinct -8484 | 45 | 256 | 4 | 305 | 14.8% | 83.9% | R+69.2 |
| Precinct -104104 | 27 | 272 | 2 | 301 | 9.0% | 90.4% | R+81.4 |
| Precinct -2828 | 103 | 167 | 5 | 275 | 37.5% | 60.7% | R+23.3 |
| Precinct -3434 | 67 | 196 | 4 | 267 | 25.1% | 73.4% | R+48.3 |
| Precinct -102102 | 14 | 208 | 3 | 225 | 6.2% | 92.4% | R+86.2 |
| Precinct -4040 | 72 | 143 | 3 | 218 | 33.0% | 65.6% | R+32.6 |
| Precinct -2020 | 25 | 184 | 4 | 213 | 11.7% | 86.4% | R+74.6 |
| Precinct -100100 | 7 | 200 | 5 | 212 | 3.3% | 94.3% | R+91.0 |
| Precinct -6666 | 69 | 135 | 6 | 210 | 32.9% | 64.3% | R+31.4 |
| Precinct -111111 | 8 | 192 | 1 | 201 | 4.0% | 95.5% | R+91.5 |
| Precinct -7373 | 33 | 156 | 5 | 194 | 17.0% | 80.4% | R+63.4 |
| Precinct -3232 | 33 | 153 | 4 | 190 | 17.4% | 80.5% | R+63.2 |
| Precinct -113113 | 8 | 176 | 4 | 188 | 4.3% | 93.6% | R+89.4 |
| Precinct -2323 | 19 | 142 | 3 | 164 | 11.6% | 86.6% | R+75.0 |
| Precinct -9191 | 23 | 136 | 0 | 159 | 14.5% | 85.5% | R+71.1 |
| Precinct -112112 | 4 | 149 | 5 | 158 | 2.5% | 94.3% | R+91.8 |
| Precinct -7878 | 31 | 118 | 1 | 150 | 20.7% | 78.7% | R+58.0 |
| Precinct -1717 | 34 | 104 | 1 | 139 | 24.5% | 74.8% | R+50.4 |
| Precinct -7272 | 22 | 111 | 0 | 133 | 16.5% | 83.5% | R+66.9 |
| Precinct -107107 | 6 | 121 | 2 | 129 | 4.7% | 93.8% | R+89.1 |
| Precinct -8787 | 25 | 93 | 2 | 120 | 20.8% | 77.5% | R+56.7 |
| Precinct -106106 | 7 | 101 | 1 | 109 | 6.4% | 92.7% | R+86.2 |
| Precinct -116116 | 22 | 81 | 2 | 105 | 21.0% | 77.1% | R+56.2 |
| Precinct -5858 | 36 | 66 | 1 | 103 | 35.0% | 64.1% | R+29.1 |
| Precinct -1111 | 78 | 18 | 0 | 96 | 81.3% | 18.8% | D+62.5 |
| Precinct -5050 | 48 | 43 | 3 | 94 | 51.1% | 45.7% | D+5.3 |
| Precinct -66 | 54 | 36 | 2 | 92 | 58.7% | 39.1% | D+19.6 |
| Precinct -2626 | 13 | 75 | 0 | 88 | 14.8% | 85.2% | R+70.5 |
| Precinct -114114 | 6 | 61 | 0 | 67 | 9.0% | 91.0% | R+82.1 |
| Precinct -11 | 36 | 29 | 0 | 65 | 55.4% | 44.6% | D+10.8 |
| Precinct -9393 | 10 | 53 | 0 | 63 | 15.9% | 84.1% | R+68.3 |
| Precinct -6363 | 27 | 33 | 1 | 61 | 44.3% | 54.1% | R+9.8 |
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −35.1% |
| 1896 | −45.5% |
| 1900 | −51.0% |
| 1904 | −51.2% |
| 1908 | −52.4% |
| 1912 | −19.8% |
| 1916 | −31.4% |
| 1920 | −41.3% |
| 1924 | −34.8% |
| 1928 | −28.2% |
| 1932 | −13.0% |
| 1936 | +43.7% |
| 1940 | +27.5% |
| 1944 | +27.3% |
| 1948 | +37.7% |
| 1952 | +39.6% |
| 1956 | +20.5% |
| 1960 | +49.7% |
| 1964 | +66.1% |
| 1968 | +46.6% |
| 1972 | −13.5% |
| 1976 | +44.0% |
| 1980 | +42.7% |
| 1984 | +33.1% |
| 1988 | +48.8% |
| 1992 | +51.9% |
| 1996 | +54.1% |
| 2000 | +34.2% |
| 2004 | +23.8% |
| 2008 | +8.5% |
| 2012 | −29.9% |
| 2016 | −51.1% |
| 2020 | −58.4% |
| 2024 | −60.4% |
DemocraticRepublican
Federal and statewide elections · 3 House · 37 Senate · 3 Senate special · 13 governor
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.
U.S. Senate
Each row shows U.S. Senate votes counted inside this Place. “Vote lead” is the local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
U.S. Senate special elections
Each row shows U.S. Senate special votes counted inside this Place. “Vote lead” is the local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
Governor
Each row shows Governor 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 · 2026D+16.2
Presidential vote · 2024R+60.4
McDowell County, WV registers Democratic but votes Republican — a 77-point gap between how voters register and how they vote, the signature of ancestral registration that trails realignment.
11,795 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
−111 net domestic migration · 2025
20112025
Net −4,552 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $34,841 in average income, against $48,149 for residents who stayed — 28% lower. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+57.3 on average — 3.0 points more Democratic-leaning than McDowell County, WV itself (R+60.4).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Mercer County, WV63R+57.3
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Mercer County, WV64
- Tazewell County, VA26
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 | −262 |
| 2012 | −299 |
| 2013 | −317 |
| 2014 | −540 |
| 2015 | −532 |
| 2016 | −453 |
| 2017 | −565 |
| 2018 | −166 |
| 2019 | −442 |
| 2021 | −289 |
| 2022 | −365 |
| 2023 | −149 |
| 2024 | −62 |
| 2025 | −111 |
McDowell's shift from a Democratic bedrock of Appalachian labor politics to an R+60 county tracks the broader collapse of the coal economy and the cultural realignment that followed across southern West Virginia.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 66.1 points in 1964 and a Republican high of 60.4 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 1.9 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 60.4 points.
A population of 17,943, a 87% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $31,559 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Logan County and Lincoln County.
Political twins — counties
The counties whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Logan County
West Virginia
91.1twin score
2000–2020 trajectory12-yr trend% unaffiliated≠ median income
Lincoln County
West Virginia
89.6twin score
12-yr trend% unaffiliatedcollege share≠ 2000 margin
Mingo County
West Virginia
89.5twin score
2000–2004 trajectory12-yr trendmedian income≠ elasticity
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.
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McDowell County, West Virginia. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/54047/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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Frequently asked questions
How did McDowell County, West Virginia vote in 2024?
In 2024, McDowell County, West Virginia voted Republican by 60.4 points (R+60.4), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 5,425 votes cast, 1,036 went Democratic and 4,310 went Republican.
When did McDowell County, West Virginia last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which McDowell County, West Virginia voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in McDowell County, West Virginia?
McDowell County, West Virginia has a population of 17,943 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in McDowell County, West Virginia?
Median household income in McDowell County, West Virginia is $31,559 — below the national median of $80,734. The West Virginia state median is $59,608.
What is the political history of McDowell County, West Virginia?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in McDowell County, West Virginia from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 16 went Republican.