West Virginia 78th State House District, West Virginia: Bellwether district. In 2024, voted R+4%. Democratic peak: D+46 in 1964.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+4MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- BellwetherAkashic typology
- Population
- 20,3842024 5-year
- Median household income
- $65,3462024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 86.8%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.3%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.2%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+46 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+32 in 1904MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for Delegate District 78, WVOne 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 | 3,664 | 4,010 | 7,885 | ||
| R | 3,858 | 3,957 | 8,004 | ||
| R | 2,796 | 3,506 | 6,995 | ||
| R | 2,630 | 3,202 | 6,009 | ||
| D | 3,245 | 3,001 | 6,349 | ||
| R | 3,103 | 3,361 | 6,526 | ||
| R | 2,397 | 2,586 | 5,206 | ||
| D | 2,550 | 1,938 | 5,102 | ||
| D | 2,690 | 1,870 | 5,445 | ||
| D | 2,697 | 2,300 | 5,010 | ||
| R | 2,518 | 2,848 | 5,378 | ||
| D | 2,451 | 2,277 | 5,293 | ||
| D | 3,074 | 2,250 | 5,324 | ||
| R | 2,039 | 3,188 | 5,227 | ||
| D | 2,497 | 1,762 | 4,555 | ||
| D | 3,302 | 1,231 | 4,533 | ||
| D | 2,492 | 2,192 | 4,684 | ||
| R | 2,095 | 2,672 | 4,767 | ||
| D | 2,502 | 2,494 | 4,996 | ||
| D | 2,309 | 1,775 | 4,124 | ||
| D | 1,984 | 1,835 | 3,819 | ||
| D | 2,461 | 1,972 | 4,433 | ||
| D | 2,602 | 1,676 | 4,295 | ||
| D | 1,963 | 1,601 | 3,656 | ||
| R | 1,176 | 2,162 | 3,373 | ||
| R | 947 | 1,330 | 2,684 | ||
| R | 655 | 1,288 | 2,013 | ||
| R | 424 | 649 | 1,129 | ||
| O | 318 | 231 | 997 | ||
| R | 334 | 596 | 999 | ||
| R | 304 | 606 | 937 | ||
| D | 566 | 300 | 883 | ||
| R | 282 | 511 | 802 | ||
| R | 286 | 429 | 727 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
18.7%
English
13.5%
Irish
12.6%
Italian
8.6%
American
6.0%
Polish
3.6%
Scottish
3.5%
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: 32.7 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
$65,346
Delegate District 78 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Delegate District 78$65,346
West Virginia$59,608
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
19.7%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1815.8%
Working age (18–64)21.0%
Seniors (65+)12.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
93.4%
speak English only
Other Indo-European2.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.8%
Spanish1.5%
Other languages1.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 73.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
With fewer than 19,000 residents and a 2024 presidential margin of R+17.5, Delegate District 78 reflects the broader rightward consolidation that has reshaped West Virginia's legislative map over the past decade.
The Democratic margin in West Virginia 78th State House District has rarely exceeded forty-six points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded thirty-two points. 2024 delivered the district to the Republican candidate by four points.
Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most districts. A 87% non-Hispanic-white share, a 20% poverty rate, and a median household income of $65,346 — all within the broad national range.
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.
Delegate District 78, West Virginia. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/54078/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Delegate District 78, West Virginia vote in 2024?
In 2024, Delegate District 78, West Virginia voted Republican by 4.4 points (R+4), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 7,885 votes cast, 3,664 went Democratic and 4,010 went Republican.
What is Delegate District 78, West Virginia's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Delegate District 78, West Virginia as a "Bellwether" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 16 times, Republican 17 times, and other 1 times.
When did Delegate District 78, West Virginia last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Delegate District 78, West Virginia voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Delegate District 78, West Virginia?
Delegate District 78, West Virginia has a population of 20,384 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Delegate District 78, West Virginia?
Median household income in Delegate District 78, West Virginia is $65,346 — below the national median of $80,734. The West Virginia state median is $59,608.
What is the political history of Delegate District 78, West Virginia?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Delegate District 78, West Virginia from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 16 went Democratic and 17 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.