Pennsylvania 185th State House District, Pennsylvania: Populist district. In 2024, voted D+52%. Republican peak: R+66 in 1924.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+52MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 187,2212024 5-year
- Median household income
- $65,9962024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 39.2%2024 5-year
- Black
- 36.9%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 14.0%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+63 in 2012MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+66 in 1924MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State House District 185, PAOne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 67,046 | 20,443 | 88,786 | ||
| D | 70,850 | 19,041 | 90,522 | ||
| D | 67,477 | 16,242 | 85,956 | ||
| D | 67,694 | 15,008 | 83,397 | ||
| D | 68,755 | 17,317 | 86,625 | ||
| D | 62,545 | 18,863 | 81,659 | ||
| D | 51,822 | 15,225 | 68,513 | ||
| D | 47,265 | 13,020 | 65,060 | ||
| D | 49,258 | 18,629 | 77,142 | ||
| D | 50,027 | 29,151 | 79,940 | ||
| D | 55,365 | 34,686 | 90,497 | ||
| D | 46,793 | 31,478 | 84,802 | ||
| D | 55,580 | 31,217 | 88,308 | ||
| D | 48,129 | 43,114 | 92,298 | ||
| D | 58,235 | 32,044 | 98,609 | ||
| D | 74,807 | 29,515 | 104,669 | ||
| D | 68,873 | 35,861 | 104,932 | ||
| D | 55,197 | 45,587 | 100,972 | ||
| D | 60,180 | 46,289 | 106,939 | ||
| R | 46,474 | 47,510 | 96,809 | ||
| D | 53,240 | 38,756 | 92,323 | ||
| D | 56,679 | 39,692 | 96,852 | ||
| D | 57,680 | 36,915 | 97,095 | ||
| R | 27,862 | 37,056 | 66,629 | ||
| R | 29,367 | 46,451 | 76,214 | ||
| R | 5,785 | 37,134 | 47,648 | ||
| R | 9,574 | 32,753 | 44,548 | ||
| R | 9,551 | 20,412 | 30,567 | ||
| O | 6,991 | 9,699 | 26,559 | ||
| R | 7,889 | 19,458 | 28,139 | ||
| R | 5,104 | 23,745 | 29,400 | ||
| R | 6,086 | 18,219 | 24,630 | ||
| R | 6,603 | 18,511 | 25,650 | ||
| R | 8,806 | 12,242 | 21,267 | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
Irish
11.4%
Italian
7.8%
German
7.7%
English
3.9%
Polish
3.1%
American
2.4%
French
0.6%
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: 35.9 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
$65,996
State House District 185 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State House District 185$65,996
Pennsylvania$77,971
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
19.8%
Children face higher poverty than working-age adults.
Children under 1826.7%
Working age (18–64)17.6%
Seniors (65+)20.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
77.2%
speak English only
Spanish9.7%
Other Indo-European5.6%
Asian & Pacific Islander5.4%
Other languages2.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 55.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
With a 2024 presidential margin of D+34.4, this Philadelphia-area district ranks among the most reliably Democratic constituencies in the state, leaving general-election outcomes rarely in doubt.
The Democratic margin in Pennsylvania 185th State House District peaked at sixty-three points in 2012. By 1952 the district had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty-two points, the most Democratic-leaning result in the district's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $65,996 sits well below state and national norms, and 20% 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 185, Pennsylvania. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/42185/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State House District 185, Pennsylvania vote in 2024?
In 2024, State House District 185, Pennsylvania voted Democratic by 52.5 points (D+52), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 88,786 votes cast, 67,046 went Democratic and 20,443 went Republican.
What is State House District 185, Pennsylvania's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State House District 185, Pennsylvania as a "Populist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 22 times, Republican 11 times, and other 1 times.
When did State House District 185, Pennsylvania last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which State House District 185, Pennsylvania voted Republican was 1948.
How many people live in State House District 185, Pennsylvania?
State House District 185, Pennsylvania has a population of 187,221 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 185, Pennsylvania?
Median household income in State House District 185, Pennsylvania is $65,996 — below the national median of $80,734. The Pennsylvania state median is $77,971.
What is the political history of State House District 185, Pennsylvania?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State House District 185, Pennsylvania from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 22 went Democratic and 11 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.