HarrisDemocratic36.2%8,719TrumpRepublican62.4%15,038OtherAll other candidates1.4%329
R+26.2- Lead
- 6,319
- Total
- 24,086
- vs nation
- R+24.8
modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate
Akashicstate house district
South Carolina 81st State House District
Office (updates table and map)
President margin by year
Place winner margin
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.
President results by year
Modeled candidate-vote estimate on current district boundaries
BidenDemocratic36.3%8,807TrumpRepublican62.0%15,034OtherAll other candidates1.6%391
R+25.7- Lead
- 6,227
- Total
- 24,232
- vs nation
- R+30.2
modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate
ClintonDemocratic29.5%5,847TrumpRepublican64.4%12,792OtherAll other candidates6.1%1,213
R+35.0- Lead
- 6,945
- Total
- 19,852
- vs nation
- R+37.1
modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate
ObamaDemocratic31.7%5,810RomneyRepublican66.6%12,212OtherAll other candidates1.8%322
R+34.9- Lead
- 6,402
- Total
- 18,344
- vs nation
- R+38.8
modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate
ObamaDemocratic33.1%6,013McCainRepublican65.3%11,879OtherAll other candidates1.6%297
R+32.3- Lead
- 5,866
- Total
- 18,189
- vs nation
- R+39.5
modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate
KerryDemocratic28.9%4,536BushRepublican69.4%10,877OtherAll other candidates1.7%259
R+40.5- Lead
- 6,341
- Total
- 15,672
- vs nation
- R+38.0
modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate
GoreDemocratic28.2%3,776BushRepublican69.0%9,217OtherAll other candidates2.8%374
R+40.7- Lead
- 5,441
- Total
- 13,367
- vs nation
- R+41.2
modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate
ClintonDemocratic28.9%3,324DoleRepublican64.1%7,368OtherAll other candidates7.0%807
R+35.2- Lead
- 4,044
- Total
- 11,499
- vs nation
- R+43.7
modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+26.2MIT Election Lab
- Population
- 40,3272024 5-year
- Population density
- 574 / sq mi2024 5-year · TIGER/Line
- Land area
- 70.2 sq miTIGER/Line
- Median household income
- $86,0752024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 75.5%2024 5-year
- Black
- 13.7%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 4.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+99.1 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+62.5 in 1972MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- State House District 83, SC · twin score 93.2
presidential history
Party record book
South Carolina 81st 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
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Woodrow Wilson1912
99.1%
337 votes · D+99.1 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · John W. Davis, 1924 · 98.3%
Republican
Richard Nixon1972
79.7%
5,883 votes · R+62.5 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · George H. W. Bush, 1988 · 75.3%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Joe Biden2020
8,807votes
36.3% of the vote · R+25.7 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Kamala Harris, 2024 · 8,719 votes
Republican
Donald Trump2024
15,038votes
62.4% of the vote · R+26.2 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 15,034 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
John W. Davis1924
+122.7pts D vs U.S.
Place D+97.5 · U.S. R+25.2 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · James M. Cox, 1920 · +116.1 pts
Republican
Barry Goldwater1964
+70.3pts R vs U.S.
Place R+47.7 · U.S. D+22.6 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · George H. W. Bush, 1988 · +44.0 pts
current representation
Current officeholders
RCharlie HartzState House · 81
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
U.S. House elections · 2 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.
With a 26.2-point Republican presidential margin, District 81 sits firmly in South Carolina's heavily Republican interior, where low population density and a predominantly rural electorate produce some of the state's most consistent partisan results.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 99.1 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 62.5 points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 0.5 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 26.2 points.
A population of 40,327, a 76% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $86,075 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State House District 83 and State House District 45.
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 83
South Carolina
93.2twin score
2008–2016 trajectory% Evangelical
State House District 45
Alabama
90.8twin score
2008–2012 trajectory12-yr trend% Evangelical≠ median age
State House District 45
Tennessee
90.7twin score
2008–2012 trajectory% Evangelical12-yr trend≠ median age
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.
South Carolina 81st State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/45081/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
South Carolina at the ballot boxAll elections →
Places within South Carolina 81st State House District
counties it covers1
Frequently asked questions
How did South Carolina 81st State House District vote in 2024?
In 2024, South Carolina 81st State House District voted Republican by 26.2 points (R+26.2), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 24,086 votes cast, 8,719 went Democratic and 15,038 went Republican.
When did South Carolina 81st State House District last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which South Carolina 81st State House District voted Democratic was 1944.
How many people live in South Carolina 81st State House District?
South Carolina 81st State House District has a population of 40,327 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in South Carolina 81st State House District?
Median household income in South Carolina 81st State House District is $86,075 — above the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of South Carolina 81st State House District?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in South Carolina 81st State House District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 18 went Republican.