South Carolina 42nd State House District, South Carolina: Populist district. In 2024, voted R+35%. Democratic peak: D+100 in 1936.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+35MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 41,2242024 5-year
- Median household income
- $47,1922024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 65.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 26.1%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.7%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+100 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+51 in 1972MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State House District 42, SCOne 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 | 5,915 | 12,510 | 18,598 | ||
| R | 7,056 | 12,360 | 19,623 | ||
| R | 6,585 | 10,572 | 17,639 | ||
| R | 7,950 | 9,663 | 17,847 | ||
| R | 8,143 | 10,650 | 19,037 | ||
| R | 7,157 | 9,612 | 16,909 | ||
| R | 6,315 | 8,295 | 14,850 | ||
| D | 6,879 | 5,537 | 13,508 | ||
| R | 6,029 | 6,389 | 14,270 | ||
| R | 5,657 | 8,050 | 13,742 | ||
| R | 5,532 | 8,361 | 13,944 | ||
| D | 7,913 | 5,295 | 13,396 | ||
| D | 7,915 | 4,569 | 12,540 | ||
| R | 3,229 | 10,034 | 13,344 | ||
| O | 2,900 | 4,015 | 12,398 | ||
| R | 4,802 | 4,875 | 9,677 | ||
| D | 6,177 | 2,669 | 8,845 | ||
| D | 4,537 | 1,539 | 7,075 | ||
| D | 6,691 | 2,804 | 9,494 | ||
| O | 1,390 | 60 | 3,967 | ||
| D | 3,442 | 41 | 3,581 | ||
| D | 4,224 | 37 | 4,261 | ||
| D | 4,098 | 0 | 4,109 | ||
| D | 3,704 | 0 | 3,724 | ||
| D | 2,874 | 83 | 2,959 | ||
| D | 2,301 | 28 | 2,337 | ||
| D | 2,634 | 23 | 2,657 | ||
| D | 1,871 | 3 | 1,890 | ||
| D | 1,935 | 0 | 2,016 | ||
| D | 1,840 | 62 | 1,902 | ||
| D | 1,964 | 68 | 2,032 | ||
| D | 1,503 | 97 | 1,601 | ||
| D | 1,784 | 181 | 1,968 | ||
| D | 1,709 | 392 | 2,159 | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
10.5%
English
9.7%
Irish
8.1%
German
5.8%
Italian
1.7%
Scottish
1.3%
French
0.8%
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: 43.2 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
$47,192
State House District 42 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State House District 42$47,192
South Carolina$69,324
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
21.0%
Children face higher poverty than working-age adults.
Children under 1833.0%
Working age (18–64)18.5%
Seniors (65+)12.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
96.5%
speak English only
Spanish2.7%
Other Indo-European0.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.2%
Other languages0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 29.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
South Carolina 42nd State House District sits in the Deep South. For most of the post-war period it was a Democratic district — its working-class profile gave it the same political habits as much of its region. That identity has shifted decisively in the last twenty years.
The Democratic margin in South Carolina 42nd State House District peaked at 100 points in 1936. By 2000 the district had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-five points, the most Republican-leaning result in the district's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $47,192 sits well below state and national norms, and 21% 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 42, South Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/45042/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State House District 42, South Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, State House District 42, South Carolina voted Republican by 35.5 points (R+35), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 18,598 votes cast, 5,915 went Democratic and 12,510 went Republican.
What is State House District 42, South Carolina's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State House District 42, South Carolina as a "Populist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 20 times, Republican 12 times, and other 2 times.
When did State House District 42, South Carolina last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State House District 42, South Carolina voted Democratic was 1996.
How many people live in State House District 42, South Carolina?
State House District 42, South Carolina has a population of 41,224 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 42, South Carolina?
Median household income in State House District 42, South Carolina is $47,192 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of State House District 42, South Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State House District 42, South Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 20 went Democratic and 12 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.