Kentucky 72nd State House District, Kentucky: Realigner district. In 2024, voted R+46%. Republican peak: R+46 in 2024.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+46MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- RealignerAkashic typology
- Population
- 43,2502024 5-year
- Median household income
- $56,7642024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 90.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 2.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 4.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+41 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+46 in 2024MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State House District 72, KYOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 5,243 | 14,306 | 19,846 | ||
| R | 5,722 | 14,125 | 20,102 | ||
| R | 4,924 | 12,242 | 17,895 | ||
| R | 5,931 | 10,050 | 16,278 | ||
| R | 6,933 | 9,881 | 17,124 | ||
| R | 6,933 | 10,397 | 17,470 | ||
| R | 5,852 | 8,772 | 14,947 | ||
| D | 6,032 | 5,852 | 13,326 | ||
| D | 6,490 | 5,643 | 14,837 | ||
| R | 6,118 | 6,985 | 13,250 | ||
| R | 5,369 | 8,191 | 13,680 | ||
| D | 7,038 | 5,576 | 13,006 | ||
| D | 7,399 | 4,643 | 12,259 | ||
| R | 4,117 | 6,737 | 11,018 | ||
| D | 4,881 | 4,791 | 11,683 | ||
| D | 8,484 | 3,509 | 12,040 | ||
| D | 6,824 | 6,211 | 13,035 | ||
| D | 7,445 | 6,215 | 13,758 | ||
| D | 7,600 | 5,974 | 13,592 | ||
| D | 8,165 | 4,511 | 12,890 | ||
| D | 8,249 | 5,679 | 13,973 | ||
| D | 9,373 | 6,732 | 16,136 | ||
| D | 9,072 | 6,494 | 15,626 | ||
| D | 10,924 | 6,674 | 17,708 | ||
| R | 7,137 | 10,172 | 17,321 | ||
| D | 8,855 | 7,607 | 16,669 | ||
| D | 11,887 | 8,481 | 20,482 | ||
| D | 6,781 | 4,965 | 11,859 | ||
| D | 5,885 | 3,842 | 10,950 | ||
| D | 6,285 | 5,378 | 11,836 | ||
| D | 6,036 | 4,919 | 11,197 | ||
| D | 6,467 | 5,585 | 12,253 | ||
| D | 6,098 | 5,669 | 12,023 | ||
| D | 5,312 | 4,030 | 9,896 | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
20.0%
English
13.1%
Irish
10.2%
German
8.9%
Italian
2.1%
Scottish
1.8%
French
0.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 41.3 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$56,764
State House District 72 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State House District 72$56,764
Kentucky$63,726
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
17.3%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1817.6%
Working age (18–64)16.9%
Seniors (65+)19.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
95.6%
speak English only
Spanish3.1%
Other Indo-European0.9%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 60.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
With a 2024 presidential margin of R+45.6, this south-central Kentucky district ranks among the state's most one-sided, reflecting the deep rural realignment that has reshaped Appalachian and interior Kentucky over the past two decades.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Kentucky 72nd State House District peaked at forty-one points in 1964; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2000 election delivered the district to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of twenty points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. The median household income of $56,764 is among the lowest at this geographic scale; 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line.
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.
State House District 72, Kentucky. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/21072/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State House District 72, Kentucky vote in 2024?
In 2024, State House District 72, Kentucky voted Republican by 45.7 points (R+46), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 19,846 votes cast, 5,243 went Democratic and 14,306 went Republican.
What is State House District 72, Kentucky's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State House District 72, Kentucky as a "Realigner" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 23 times, Republican 11 times, and other 0 times.
When did State House District 72, Kentucky last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State House District 72, Kentucky voted Democratic was 1996.
How many people live in State House District 72, Kentucky?
State House District 72, Kentucky has a population of 43,250 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State House District 72, Kentucky?
Median household income in State House District 72, Kentucky is $56,764 — below the national median of $80,734. The Kentucky state median is $63,726.
What is the political history of State House District 72, Kentucky?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State House District 72, Kentucky from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 23 went Democratic and 11 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Realigner" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.