North Carolina — 1956 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1956 presidential electionNorth Carolina · PresidentStevensonD+1.3
How it voted
Share of the 1956 vote
| Adlai Stevenson ✓Democratic | 50.7% | 590,530 |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight D. EisenhowerRepublican | 49.3% | 575,062 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 0.0% | 0 |
1956presidential margin
D+60R+60
100 counties, each filled by 1956 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
North Carolina cast 14 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (100 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Alamance County, NC | Republican | R+4.7 |
| Alexander County, NC | Republican | R+16.3 |
| Alleghany County, NC | Republican | R+0.9 |
| Anson County, NC | Democratic | D+37.4 |
| Ashe County, NC | Republican | R+7.1 |
| Avery County, NC | Republican | R+61.1 |
| Beaufort County, NC | Democratic | D+43.1 |
| Bertie County, NC | Democratic | D+75.6 |
| Bladen County, NC | Democratic | D+45.1 |
| Brunswick County, NC | Republican | R+0.03 |
| Buncombe County, NC | Republican | R+8.7 |
| Burke County, NC | Republican | R+19.3 |
| Cabarrus County, NC | Republican | R+33.7 |
| Caldwell County, NC | Republican | R+22.4 |
| Camden County, NC | Democratic | D+40.7 |
| Carteret County, NC | Democratic | D+0.9 |
| Caswell County, NC | Democratic | D+34.4 |
| Catawba County, NC | Republican | R+25.5 |
| Chatham County, NC | Democratic | D+5.4 |
| Cherokee County, NC | Republican | R+14.8 |
| Chowan County, NC | Democratic | D+45.5 |
| Clay County, NC | Republican | R+5.7 |
| Cleveland County, NC | Democratic | D+8.6 |
| Columbus County, NC | Democratic | D+54.5 |
| Craven County, NC | Democratic | D+36.2 |
| Cumberland County, NC | Democratic | D+13.9 |
| Currituck County, NC | Democratic | D+49.0 |
| Dare County, NC | Republican | R+10.1 |
| Davidson County, NC | Republican | R+23.7 |
| Davie County, NC | Republican | R+37.1 |
| Duplin County, NC | Democratic | D+53.3 |
| Durham County, NC | Democratic | D+2.3 |
| Edgecombe County, NC | Democratic | D+61.9 |
| Forsyth County, NC | Republican | R+30.0 |
| Franklin County, NC | Democratic | D+74.0 |
| Gaston County, NC | Republican | R+7.4 |
| Gates County, NC | Democratic | D+57.0 |
| Graham County, NC | Republican | R+8.5 |
| Granville County, NC | Democratic | D+46.6 |
| Greene County, NC | Democratic | D+87.3 |
| Guilford County, NC | Republican | R+19.7 |
| Halifax County, NC | Democratic | D+54.0 |
| Harnett County, NC | Democratic | D+30.0 |
| Haywood County, NC | Democratic | D+4.4 |
| Henderson County, NC | Republican | R+39.6 |
| Hertford County, NC | Democratic | D+57.6 |
| Hoke County, NC | Democratic | D+58.2 |
| Hyde County, NC | Democratic | D+35.4 |
| Iredell County, NC | Republican | R+20.9 |
| Jackson County, NC | Democratic | D+3.9 |
| Johnston County, NC | Democratic | D+33.6 |
| Jones County, NC | Democratic | D+64.9 |
| Lee County, NC | Democratic | D+36.2 |
| Lenoir County, NC | Democratic | D+45.5 |
| Lincoln County, NC | Republican | R+6.4 |
| Macon County, NC | Republican | R+6.0 |
| Madison County, NC | Republican | R+7.2 |
| Martin County, NC | Democratic | D+85.5 |
| McDowell County, NC | Republican | R+10.9 |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | Republican | R+24.0 |
| Mitchell County, NC | Republican | R+59.9 |
| Montgomery County, NC | Republican | R+4.2 |
| Moore County, NC | Republican | R+5.1 |
| Nash County, NC | Democratic | D+57.8 |
| New Hanover County, NC | Democratic | D+3.9 |
| Northampton County, NC | Democratic | D+70.1 |
| Onslow County, NC | Democratic | D+48.5 |
| Orange County, NC | Democratic | D+3.8 |
| Pamlico County, NC | Democratic | D+18.1 |
| Pasquotank County, NC | Democratic | D+23.7 |
| Pender County, NC | Democratic | D+37.0 |
| Perquimans County, NC | Democratic | D+18.1 |
| Person County, NC | Democratic | D+32.7 |
| Pitt County, NC | Democratic | D+65.0 |
| Polk County, NC | Republican | R+5.5 |
| Randolph County, NC | Republican | R+22.1 |
| Richmond County, NC | Democratic | D+38.8 |
| Robeson County, NC | Democratic | D+58.1 |
| Rockingham County, NC | Republican | R+0.5 |
| Rowan County, NC | Republican | R+28.6 |
| Rutherford County, NC | Republican | R+6.4 |
| Sampson County, NC | Democratic | D+3.7 |
| Scotland County, NC | Democratic | D+44.4 |
| Stanly County, NC | Republican | R+22.9 |
| Stokes County, NC | Republican | R+4.7 |
| Surry County, NC | Republican | R+12.4 |
| Swain County, NC | Republican | R+6.1 |
| Transylvania County, NC | Republican | R+6.4 |
| Tyrrell County, NC | Democratic | D+18.8 |
| Union County, NC | Democratic | D+31.0 |
| Vance County, NC | Democratic | D+43.1 |
| Wake County, NC | Democratic | D+19.2 |
| Warren County, NC | Democratic | D+58.4 |
| Washington County, NC | Democratic | D+30.7 |
| Watauga County, NC | Republican | R+18.0 |
| Wayne County, NC | Democratic | D+23.1 |
| Wilkes County, NC | Republican | R+32.6 |
| Wilson County, NC | Democratic | D+49.3 |
| Yadkin County, NC | Republican | R+39.7 |
| Yancey County, NC | Democratic | D+2.7 |
North Carolina results by county
100 counties. Third-party and independent votes are reported by the county source as one combined figure; every named candidate is listed in the complete result below.
| Led by | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alamance County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+1,094 | 11,02947.6% | 12,12352.4% | 00.0% | 23,152 |
| Alexander County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+1,057 | 2,71041.8% | 3,76758.2% | 00.0% | 6,477 |
| Alleghany County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+29 | 1,67049.6% | 1,69950.4% | 00.0% | 3,369 |
| Anson County | Adlai Stevenson+1,958 | 3,59868.7% | 1,64031.3% | 00.0% | 5,238 |
| Ashe County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+606 | 3,98246.5% | 4,58853.5% | 00.0% | 8,570 |
| Avery County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+3,040 | 96919.5% | 4,00980.5% | 00.0% | 4,978 |
| Beaufort County | Adlai Stevenson+3,453 | 5,73071.6% | 2,27728.4% | 00.0% | 8,007 |
| Bertie County | Adlai Stevenson+2,904 | 3,37387.8% | 46912.2% | 00.0% | 3,842 |
| Bladen County | Adlai Stevenson+2,536 | 4,07872.6% | 1,54227.4% | 00.0% | 5,620 |
| Brunswick County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+2 | 3,29750.0% | 3,29950.0% | 00.0% | 6,596 |
| Buncombe County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+3,611 | 19,04445.7% | 22,65554.3% | 00.0% | 41,699 |
| Burke County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+3,824 | 7,99940.4% | 11,82359.6% | 00.0% | 19,822 |
| Cabarrus County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+7,289 | 7,17333.2% | 14,46266.8% | 00.0% | 21,635 |
| Caldwell County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+3,972 | 6,86138.8% | 10,83361.2% | 00.0% | 17,694 |
| Camden County | Adlai Stevenson+470 | 81370.3% | 34329.7% | 00.0% | 1,156 |
| Carteret County | Adlai Stevenson+71 | 3,87550.5% | 3,80449.5% | 00.0% | 7,679 |
| Caswell County | Adlai Stevenson+1,264 | 2,46867.2% | 1,20432.8% | 00.0% | 3,672 |
| Catawba County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+7,822 | 11,42437.2% | 19,24662.8% | 00.0% | 30,670 |
| Chatham County | Adlai Stevenson+422 | 4,15152.7% | 3,72947.3% | 00.0% | 7,880 |
| Cherokee County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+987 | 2,84342.6% | 3,83057.4% | 00.0% | 6,673 |
| Chowan County | Adlai Stevenson+929 | 1,48572.8% | 55627.2% | 00.0% | 2,041 |
| Clay County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+155 | 1,28747.2% | 1,44252.8% | 00.0% | 2,729 |
| Cleveland County | Adlai Stevenson+1,332 | 8,40854.3% | 7,07645.7% | 00.0% | 15,484 |
| Columbus County | Adlai Stevenson+5,505 | 7,80577.2% | 2,30022.8% | 00.0% | 10,105 |
| Craven County | Adlai Stevenson+3,361 | 6,31768.1% | 2,95631.9% | 00.0% | 9,273 |
| Cumberland County | Adlai Stevenson+2,163 | 8,86257.0% | 6,69943.0% | 00.0% | 15,561 |
| Currituck County | Adlai Stevenson+937 | 1,42574.5% | 48825.5% | 00.0% | 1,913 |
| Dare County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+189 | 83944.9% | 1,02855.1% | 00.0% | 1,867 |
| Davidson County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+6,191 | 9,98738.2% | 16,17861.8% | 00.0% | 26,165 |
| Davie County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+2,489 | 2,11031.5% | 4,59968.5% | 00.0% | 6,709 |
| Duplin County | Adlai Stevenson+4,821 | 6,93176.7% | 2,11023.3% | 00.0% | 9,041 |
| Durham County | Adlai Stevenson+609 | 13,83551.1% | 13,22648.9% | 00.0% | 27,061 |
| Edgecombe County | Adlai Stevenson+5,990 | 7,83081.0% | 1,84019.0% | 00.0% | 9,670 |
| Forsyth County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+13,549 | 15,81935.0% | 29,36865.0% | 00.0% | 45,187 |
| Franklin County | Adlai Stevenson+4,506 | 5,29887.0% | 79213.0% | 00.0% | 6,090 |
| Gaston County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+2,488 | 15,67146.3% | 18,15953.7% | 00.0% | 33,830 |
| Gates County | Adlai Stevenson+903 | 1,24478.5% | 34121.5% | 00.0% | 1,585 |
| Graham County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+276 | 1,48645.8% | 1,76254.2% | 00.0% | 3,248 |
| Granville County | Adlai Stevenson+2,550 | 4,01373.3% | 1,46326.7% | 00.0% | 5,476 |
| Greene County | Adlai Stevenson+3,063 | 3,28593.7% | 2226.3% | 00.0% | 3,507 |
| Guilford County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+10,803 | 21,94840.1% | 32,75159.9% | 00.0% | 54,699 |
| Halifax County | Adlai Stevenson+5,514 | 7,86077.0% | 2,34623.0% | 00.0% | 10,206 |
| Harnett County | Adlai Stevenson+3,423 | 7,42165.0% | 3,99835.0% | 00.0% | 11,419 |
| Haywood County | Adlai Stevenson+643 | 7,59852.2% | 6,95547.8% | 00.0% | 14,553 |
| Henderson County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+5,240 | 4,00330.2% | 9,24369.8% | 00.0% | 13,246 |
| Hertford County | Adlai Stevenson+1,979 | 2,70878.8% | 72921.2% | 00.0% | 3,437 |
| Hoke County | Adlai Stevenson+1,431 | 1,94479.1% | 51320.9% | 00.0% | 2,457 |
| Hyde County | Adlai Stevenson+537 | 1,02867.7% | 49132.3% | 00.0% | 1,519 |
| Iredell County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+3,839 | 7,28639.6% | 11,12560.4% | 00.0% | 18,411 |
| Jackson County | Adlai Stevenson+284 | 3,78751.9% | 3,50348.1% | 00.0% | 7,290 |
| Johnston County | Adlai Stevenson+4,959 | 9,85266.8% | 4,89333.2% | 00.0% | 14,745 |
| Jones County | Adlai Stevenson+1,537 | 1,95282.5% | 41517.5% | 00.0% | 2,367 |
| Lee County | Adlai Stevenson+2,215 | 4,16368.1% | 1,94831.9% | 00.0% | 6,111 |
| Lenoir County | Adlai Stevenson+4,283 | 6,84772.8% | 2,56427.2% | 00.0% | 9,411 |
| Lincoln County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+799 | 5,83846.8% | 6,63753.2% | 00.0% | 12,475 |
| Macon County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+383 | 3,02547.0% | 3,40853.0% | 00.0% | 6,433 |
| Madison County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+570 | 3,69346.4% | 4,26353.6% | 00.0% | 7,956 |
| Martin County | Adlai Stevenson+5,281 | 5,73092.7% | 4497.3% | 00.0% | 6,179 |
| McDowell County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+1,076 | 4,39244.5% | 5,46855.5% | 00.0% | 9,860 |
| Mecklenburg County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+17,242 | 27,22738.0% | 44,46962.0% | 00.0% | 71,696 |
| Mitchell County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+3,200 | 1,06920.0% | 4,26980.0% | 00.0% | 5,338 |
| Montgomery County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+271 | 3,08847.9% | 3,35952.1% | 00.0% | 6,447 |
| Moore County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+509 | 4,72947.4% | 5,23852.6% | 00.0% | 9,967 |
| Nash County | Adlai Stevenson+7,304 | 9,96978.9% | 2,66521.1% | 00.0% | 12,634 |
| New Hanover County | Adlai Stevenson+777 | 10,24752.0% | 9,47048.0% | 00.0% | 19,717 |
| Northampton County | Adlai Stevenson+3,495 | 4,24285.0% | 74715.0% | 00.0% | 4,989 |
| Onslow County | Adlai Stevenson+3,066 | 4,69274.3% | 1,62625.7% | 00.0% | 6,318 |
| Orange County | Adlai Stevenson+347 | 4,74351.9% | 4,39648.1% | 00.0% | 9,139 |
| Pamlico County | Adlai Stevenson+422 | 1,37659.1% | 95440.9% | 00.0% | 2,330 |
| Pasquotank County | Adlai Stevenson+1,136 | 2,96361.9% | 1,82738.1% | 00.0% | 4,790 |
| Pender County | Adlai Stevenson+1,187 | 2,19668.5% | 1,00931.5% | 00.0% | 3,205 |
| Perquimans County | Adlai Stevenson+313 | 1,02259.0% | 70941.0% | 00.0% | 1,731 |
| Person County | Adlai Stevenson+1,693 | 3,43366.4% | 1,74033.6% | 00.0% | 5,173 |
| Pitt County | Adlai Stevenson+9,358 | 11,87382.5% | 2,51517.5% | 00.0% | 14,388 |
| Polk County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+296 | 2,52747.2% | 2,82352.8% | 00.0% | 5,350 |
| Randolph County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+4,770 | 8,40438.9% | 13,17461.1% | 00.0% | 21,578 |
| Richmond County | Adlai Stevenson+3,685 | 6,59269.4% | 2,90730.6% | 00.0% | 9,499 |
| Robeson County | Adlai Stevenson+7,731 | 10,51679.1% | 2,78520.9% | 00.0% | 13,301 |
| Rockingham County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+95 | 8,89649.7% | 8,99150.3% | 00.0% | 17,887 |
| Rowan County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+7,801 | 9,76135.7% | 17,56264.3% | 00.0% | 27,323 |
| Rutherford County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+992 | 7,20846.8% | 8,20053.2% | 00.0% | 15,408 |
| Sampson County | Adlai Stevenson+512 | 7,19751.8% | 6,68548.2% | 00.0% | 13,882 |
| Scotland County | Adlai Stevenson+1,871 | 3,04272.2% | 1,17127.8% | 00.0% | 4,213 |
| Stanly County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+3,974 | 6,69338.6% | 10,66761.4% | 00.0% | 17,360 |
| Stokes County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+393 | 3,94847.6% | 4,34152.4% | 00.0% | 8,289 |
| Surry County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+1,981 | 7,02043.8% | 9,00156.2% | 00.0% | 16,021 |
| Swain County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+232 | 1,79447.0% | 2,02653.0% | 00.0% | 3,820 |
| Transylvania County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+466 | 3,43546.8% | 3,90153.2% | 00.0% | 7,336 |
| Tyrrell County | Adlai Stevenson+195 | 61559.4% | 42040.6% | 00.0% | 1,035 |
| Union County | Adlai Stevenson+3,021 | 6,38365.5% | 3,36234.5% | 00.0% | 9,745 |
| Vance County | Adlai Stevenson+2,967 | 4,92271.6% | 1,95528.4% | 00.0% | 6,877 |
| Wake County | Adlai Stevenson+7,233 | 22,42759.6% | 15,19440.4% | 00.0% | 37,621 |
| Warren County | Adlai Stevenson+2,015 | 2,73379.2% | 71820.8% | 00.0% | 3,451 |
| Washington County | Adlai Stevenson+914 | 1,94765.3% | 1,03334.7% | 00.0% | 2,980 |
| Watauga County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+1,413 | 3,22341.0% | 4,63659.0% | 00.0% | 7,859 |
| Wayne County | Adlai Stevenson+2,536 | 6,75661.6% | 4,22038.4% | 00.0% | 10,976 |
| Wilkes County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+5,674 | 5,87033.7% | 11,54466.3% | 00.0% | 17,414 |
| Wilson County | Adlai Stevenson+5,498 | 8,32874.6% | 2,83025.4% | 00.0% | 11,158 |
| Yadkin County | Dwight D. Eisenhower+3,108 | 2,36130.2% | 5,46969.8% | 00.0% | 7,830 |
| Yancey County | Adlai Stevenson+156 | 2,96451.4% | 2,80848.6% | 00.0% | 5,772 |
Nominees: Adlai Stevenson (D) · Dwight D. Eisenhower (R)
North Carolina's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1956 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +11.6% |
| 1896 | +5.8% |
| 1900 | +8.5% |
| 1904 | +20.1% |
| 1908 | +8.7% |
| 1912 | +47.3% |
| 1916 | +16.4% |
| 1920 | +13.5% |
| 1924 | +19.4% |
| 1928 | −9.9% |
| 1932 | +40.6% |
| 1936 | +46.8% |
| 1940 | +48.1% |
| 1944 | +33.4% |
| 1948 | +25.3% |
| 1952 | +7.8% |
| 1956 | +1.3% |
| 1960 | +4.2% |
| 1964 | +12.3% |
| 1968 | −10.3% |
| 1972 | −40.6% |
| 1976 | +11.0% |
| 1980 | −2.1% |
| 1984 | −24.0% |
| 1988 | −16.3% |
| 1992 | −0.8% |
| 1996 | −4.7% |
| 2000 | −12.8% |
| 2004 | −12.4% |
| 2008 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | −2.0% |
| 2016 | −3.7% |
| 2020 | −1.3% |
| 2024 | −3.2% |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1956 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.