North Carolina 86th State House District, North Carolina: Populist district. In 2024, voted R+41%. Democratic peak: D+49 in 1912.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+41MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 87,7622024 5-year
- Median household income
- $58,5922024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 80.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 6.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 8.5%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+49 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+41 in 2024MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State House District 86, NCOne 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 | 13,267 | 32,118 | 45,830 | ||
| R | 13,113 | 31,007 | 44,585 | ||
| R | 11,247 | 26,228 | 38,905 | ||
| R | 13,696 | 22,259 | 36,530 | ||
| R | 14,895 | 22,094 | 37,429 | ||
| R | 11,724 | 18,915 | 30,750 | ||
| D | 18,459 | 11,920 | 30,646 | ||
| R | 11,674 | 13,848 | 28,280 | ||
| R | 12,560 | 13,392 | 30,111 | ||
| R | 10,844 | 15,927 | 26,809 | ||
| R | 10,349 | 18,759 | 29,167 | ||
| R | 11,676 | 12,951 | 25,407 | ||
| D | 14,249 | 10,066 | 24,422 | ||
| R | 6,195 | 14,442 | 20,942 | ||
| R | 5,702 | 11,064 | 22,655 | ||
| D | 12,810 | 10,077 | 22,887 | ||
| R | 10,011 | 12,920 | 22,931 | ||
| R | 7,996 | 11,819 | 19,815 | ||
| R | 7,729 | 11,109 | 18,838 | ||
| R | 6,224 | 6,372 | 13,483 | ||
| D | 6,792 | 5,853 | 12,645 | ||
| D | 7,239 | 4,887 | 12,126 | ||
| D | 7,451 | 5,504 | 12,955 | ||
| D | 5,864 | 4,821 | 10,732 | ||
| R | 2,880 | 5,106 | 7,986 | ||
| D | 4,135 | 3,189 | 7,324 | ||
| R | 3,261 | 3,591 | 6,851 | ||
| D | 1,620 | 1,473 | 3,094 | ||
| D | 1,364 | 48 | 2,700 | ||
| R | 1,310 | 1,357 | 2,667 | ||
| D | 1,080 | 1,001 | 2,080 | ||
| D | 1,388 | 1,110 | 2,513 | ||
| D | 1,549 | 1,384 | 2,967 | ||
| D | 1,409 | 1,098 | 2,757 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
14.8%
English
12.1%
German
11.1%
Irish
9.4%
Scottish
2.7%
Italian
1.8%
Polish
1.5%
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: 44.9 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
$58,592
State House District 86 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State House District 86$58,592
North Carolina$72,388
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
15.6%
Children face higher poverty than working-age adults.
Children under 1826.9%
Working age (18–64)13.3%
Seniors (65+)10.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
90.7%
speak English only
Spanish5.8%
Asian & Pacific Islander2.6%
Other languages0.5%
Other Indo-European0.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 36.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
With a 2024 presidential margin of R+41.1, this district sits among the state's most reliably conservative constituencies, leaving general-election outcomes largely decided before ballots are cast.
The Democratic margin in North Carolina 86th State House District peaked at forty-nine points in 1912. By 2004 the district had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-one points, the most Republican-leaning result in the district's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $58,592 sits well below state and national norms, and 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country.
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 86, North Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/37086/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State House District 86, North Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, State House District 86, North Carolina voted Republican by 41.1 points (R+41), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 45,830 votes cast, 13,267 went Democratic and 32,118 went Republican.
What is State House District 86, North Carolina's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State House District 86, North Carolina as a "Populist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 14 times, Republican 20 times, and other 0 times.
When did State House District 86, North Carolina last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State House District 86, North Carolina voted Democratic was 2000.
How many people live in State House District 86, North Carolina?
State House District 86, North Carolina has a population of 87,762 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 86, North Carolina?
Median household income in State House District 86, North Carolina is $58,592 — below the national median of $80,734. The North Carolina state median is $72,388.
What is the political history of State House District 86, North Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State House District 86, North Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 14 went Democratic and 20 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.