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state house district

Pennsylvania 56th State House District

Office (updates table and map)

President margin by year

Place winner margin

1876–2024 · D minus R

Full record · 1876 → 2024

2024

Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab

The precinct map shows the 2024 presidential vote; the timeline scrubs the district’s overall result across 1892–2024, on its current boundaries.

People and households

Who lives here

Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.

Race · ethnicity · ancestry

Communities and origins

German27.5%21.6%12.5%

Italian17.7%10.6%4.8%

Irish16.6%14.8%9.4%

English10.2%8.3%9.5%

Polish8.7%5.4%2.2%

Slovak4.2%0.8%—

American4.1%4.4%5.3%

Scottish2.0%1.1%1.3%

African American†1.8%8.7%9.9%

Mexican0.4%1.4%11.3%

Puerto Rican0.4%3.7%1.8%

Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.

Age and life stage

Measure	PA HD 56	Pennsylvania	United States
Median age	44.4	41.2	39.1
Age 18–24	7.1%	8.9%	9.2%
Age 65 and older	24.3%	19.5%	17.2%

Household economy

Measure	PA HD 56	Pennsylvania	United States
Median household income	$86,632	$77,971	$84,427
Poverty rate	8.0%	11.7%	12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)	32.8%	35.2%	35.6%

Housing and tenure

Measure	PA HD 56	Pennsylvania	United States
Owner-occupied homes	82.0%	69.3%	65.2%
Renter-occupied homes	18.0%	30.7%	34.8%
Median home value	$223,300	$254,500	$332,700
Median gross rent (monthly)	$972	$1,209	$1,413
Renters paying 30%+ of income	37.8%	48.2%	51.1%
Vacant housing units	5.4%	9.2%	10.1%

Getting to work

Measure	PA HD 56	Pennsylvania	United States
Mean commute	29.2 min	26.3 min	26.4 min
Commutes 60 minutes or more	9.4%	8.1%	8.6%
Drives alone to work	76.0%	68.2%	68.8%
Takes public transit	1.0%	3.6%	3.2%
Works from home	15.4%	15.6%	15.1%

Languages at home

Measure	PA HD 56	Pennsylvania	United States
Speaks a non-English language at home	2.8%	12.4%	22.3%

Religious landscape

Measure	PA HD 56	Pennsylvania	United States
Catholic	—	21.9%	18.6%
Evangelical Protestant	—	9.3%	16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted	—	53.1%	51.5%

Origins and service

Measure	PA HD 56	Pennsylvania	United States
Foreign-born residents	2.0%	7.7%	14.1%
Naturalized citizens	1.3%	4.3%	7.4%
Not U.S. citizens	0.7%	3.4%	6.8%
Veterans (18+)	6.3%	6.1%	6.2%
Income inequality (Gini)	0.432	0.474	0.483

American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations · American Community Survey 2024 — housing and tenure (B25003, B25002, B25077, B25064, B25070), commuting (B08013, B08303, B08301), origins and service (B05002, B21001, B19083).

President results by year

Modeled candidate-vote estimate on current district boundaries

HarrisDemocratic35.8%14,642TrumpRepublican63.5%25,948OtherAll other candidates0.7%291

R+27.7

Lead: 11,306
Total: 40,881
vs nation: R+26.2

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

BidenDemocratic35.0%13,675TrumpRepublican63.7%24,888OtherAll other candidates1.2%483

R+28.7

Lead: 11,213
Total: 39,046
vs nation: R+33.2

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

ClintonDemocratic31.6%10,927TrumpRepublican64.4%22,279OtherAll other candidates3.9%1,362

R+32.8

Lead: 11,352
Total: 34,568
vs nation: R+34.9

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

ObamaDemocratic36.5%11,636RomneyRepublican62.3%19,851OtherAll other candidates1.2%390

R+25.8

Lead: 8,215
Total: 31,877
vs nation: R+29.6

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

ObamaDemocratic39.7%13,349McCainRepublican58.1%19,551OtherAll other candidates2.2%750

R+18.4

Lead: 6,202
Total: 33,650
vs nation: R+25.7

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

KerryDemocratic42.5%14,297BushRepublican56.9%19,132OtherAll other candidates0.6%203

R+14.4

Lead: 4,835
Total: 33,632
vs nation: R+11.9

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

GoreDemocratic44.7%13,198BushRepublican52.3%15,438OtherAll other candidates2.9%868

R+7.6

Lead: 2,240
Total: 29,504
vs nation: R+8.1

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

ClintonDemocratic43.2%11,634DoleRepublican44.2%11,917OtherAll other candidates12.6%3,391

R+1.1

Lead: 283
Total: 26,942
vs nation: R+9.6

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: R+27.7MIT Election Lab
Population: 64,5172024 5-year
Population density: 1,105 / sq mi2024 5-year · TIGER/Line
Land area: 58.4 sq miTIGER/Line
Median household income: $86,6322024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 92.0%2024 5-year
Black: 1.9%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 1.4%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+42.0 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+38.9 in 1924MIT Election Lab
Most similar: State House District 57, PA · twin score 98.7

presidential history

Party record book

Pennsylvania 56th State House District · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.

1892–2024 (partial returns from 1876) · 38 presidential cycles · 38 with a vote-share denominator · 34 with a national benchmark

Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.

Democratic

Lyndon B. Johnson1964

70.6%

19,621 votes · D+42.0 · modeled estimate

Runner-up · Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1936 · 64.3%

Republican

Donald Trump2016

64.4%

22,279 votes · R+32.8 · modeled estimate

Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 63.7%

Most votes

Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.

Democratic

Lyndon B. Johnson1964

19,621votes

70.6% of the vote · D+42.0 · modeled estimate

Runner-up · John F. Kennedy, 1960 · 15,671 votes

Republican

Donald Trump2024

25,948votes

63.5% of the vote · R+27.7 · modeled estimate

Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 24,888 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

Adlai Stevenson1952

+23.5pts D vs U.S.

Place D+12.8 · U.S. R+10.8 · modeled estimate

Runner-up · Walter Mondale, 1984 · +21.7 pts

Republican

Donald Trump2016

+34.9pts R vs U.S.

Place R+32.8 · U.S. D+2.1 · modeled estimate

Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · +33.2 pts

current representation

Current officeholders

RBrian RaselState House · 56

State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.

U.S. House elections · 1 House

Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.

U.S. House

Each row is a county-allocated estimate of U.S. House votes for this district — county returns apportioned onto its boundary, not precinct-counted. “Vote lead” is the estimated local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.

Source · Akashic county-allocated estimate from certified county returns, House; not precinct-counted.
Year	Vote lead	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	34.5%12,966	65.5%24,573	37,539

With a 2024 presidential margin of R+27.7, this district sits well outside Pennsylvania's competitive zone. Its voting pattern reflects the rural and small-town demographic shifts that have reshaped the state's interior over the past decade.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 42.0 points in 1964 and a Republican high of 38.9 points in 1924. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 1.1 points toward the Democratic candidate; the 2024 margin was 27.7 points.

A population of 64,517, a 92% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $86,632 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State House District 57 and State House District 55.

Political twins — state-house districts

The state-house districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.

State House District 57

2008–2020 trajectory

State House District 55

2008–2020 trajectory

State House District 8

2008–2020 trajectory

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.

District research tools

Open the source-auditable district brief for electoral baseline, electorate, current-cycle coverage, geography, official dates, and methodology. Open campaign intelligence report → · Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

Pennsylvania 56th State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/42056/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Pennsylvania at the ballot boxAll elections →

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Places within Pennsylvania 56th State House District

counties it covers1

Westmoreland County

Frequently asked questions

How did Pennsylvania 56th State House District vote in 2024?

In 2024, Pennsylvania 56th State House District voted Republican by 27.7 points (R+27.7), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 40,881 votes cast, 14,642 went Democratic and 25,948 went Republican.

When did Pennsylvania 56th State House District last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which Pennsylvania 56th State House District voted Democratic was 1992.

How many people live in Pennsylvania 56th State House District?

Pennsylvania 56th State House District has a population of 64,517 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in Pennsylvania 56th State House District?

Median household income in Pennsylvania 56th State House District is $86,632 — above the national median of $80,734. The Pennsylvania state median is $77,971.

What is the political history of Pennsylvania 56th State House District?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Pennsylvania 56th State House District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 17 went Democratic and 20 went Republican.