State Senate District 46 State Senate District (NC) — Elections 1876–2024

North Carolina 46th State Senate District, North Carolina: Bellwether district. In 2024, voted R+5%. Democratic peak: D+45 in 1912.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: R+5MIT Election Lab
Political archetype: BellwetherAkashic typology
Population: 286,9302024 5-year
Median household income: $66,8932024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 82.5%2024 5-year
Black: 5.1%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 8.3%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+45 in 1912MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+42 in 1972MIT Election Lab

2024 results by constituent county

3 counties · 1 D · 2 R

R+60

D+60

One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	−5.1%	74,685	82,839	159,786
2020	R	−6.2%	73,244	83,002	158,485
2016	R	−10.1%	58,363	72,140	136,950
2012	R	−4.2%	59,460	64,807	126,470
2008	R	−2.0%	60,688	63,160	125,461
2004	R	−12.1%	46,234	59,035	105,831
2000	D	+16.3%	53,504	38,352	92,745
1996	R	−4.3%	34,037	37,424	79,415
1992	R	−0.5%	36,410	36,861	85,877
1988	R	−17.2%	30,463	43,172	73,807
1984	R	−26.6%	27,554	47,606	75,324
1980	R	−4.5%	30,352	33,328	66,129
1976	D	+13.2%	35,478	27,153	62,948
1972	R	−42.0%	15,646	39,066	55,707
1968	R	−18.7%	16,472	27,636	59,704
1964	D	+19.0%	36,915	25,150	62,064
1960	R	−10.9%	28,010	34,843	62,853
1956	R	−13.0%	23,102	30,032	53,134
1952	R	−8.2%	25,100	29,571	54,671
1948	D	+10.8%	19,633	15,528	37,991
1944	D	+25.5%	22,546	13,398	35,944
1940	D	+37.7%	26,525	12,011	38,535
1936	D	+30.4%	26,106	13,945	40,051
1932	D	+26.1%	20,935	12,219	33,443
1928	R	−14.7%	13,288	17,862	31,151
1924	D	+15.7%	12,839	9,314	22,441
1920	D	+5.0%	11,789	10,662	22,451
1916	D	+4.2%	5,273	4,846	10,121
1912	D	+45.2%	4,492	631	8,535
1908	R	−1.6%	4,232	4,367	8,638
1904	D	+4.4%	3,705	3,389	7,133
1900	D	+0.4%	4,497	4,463	9,012
1896	D	+1.3%	5,059	4,929	10,038
1892	D	+10.5%	4,483	3,583	8,598
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.

English

20.4%

German

11.4%

Irish

10.0%

American

9.6%

Scottish

3.3%

Italian

3.0%

French

1.6%

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: 43.6 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.9%

85+

1.6%

2.7%

75–84

3.6%

5.8%

65–74

6.6%

6.8%

55–64

7.3%

6.4%

45–54

6.4%

6.6%

35–44

6.5%

6.4%

25–34

6.5%

3.9%

18–24

3.5%

7.1%

5–17

6.6%

2.4%

2.2%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Median household income

2024 inflation-adjusted dollars

$66,893

State Senate District 46 ranks near the middle of US counties.

State Senate District 46$66,893

North Carolina$72,388

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

13.4%

Children face moderate poverty.

Children under 1819.2%

Working age (18–64)12.3%

Seniors (65+)11.0%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

91.0%

speak English only

Spanish6.1%

Asian & Pacific Islander1.3%

Other Indo-European1.3%

Other languages0.4%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Baptist

26.6%

Other Christian

10.3%

Catholic & Orthodox

6.3%

Methodist

5.8%

Mainline Protestant

3.0%

Pentecostal & Holiness

2.1%

Non-Christian

0.6%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 45.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

With a 2024 presidential margin of R+35, this district sits well outside competitive range, making it a bellwether for the GOP's rural and small-town base in the state's legislative map.

The Democratic margin in North Carolina 46th State Senate District has rarely exceeded forty-five points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded forty-two points. 2024 delivered the district to the Republican candidate by five points.

Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most districts. A 83% non-Hispanic-white share, a 13% poverty rate, and a median household income of $66,893 — all within the broad national range.

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Cite this page

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

State Senate District 46, North Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/37046/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did State Senate District 46, North Carolina vote in 2024?

In 2024, State Senate District 46, North Carolina voted Republican by 5.1 points (R+5), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 159,786 votes cast, 74,685 went Democratic and 82,839 went Republican.

What is State Senate District 46, North Carolina's political archetype?

Akashic classifies State Senate District 46, North Carolina 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 18 times, and other 0 times.

When did State Senate District 46, North Carolina last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 46, North Carolina voted Democratic was 2000.

How many people live in State Senate District 46, North Carolina?

State Senate District 46, North Carolina has a population of 286,930 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in State Senate District 46, North Carolina?

Median household income in State Senate District 46, North Carolina is $66,893 — below the national median of $80,734. The North Carolina state median is $72,388.

What is the political history of State Senate District 46, North Carolina?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State Senate District 46, North Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 16 went Democratic and 18 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.

North Carolina 46th State Senate District votes the way the country votes.

Key facts

Demographics

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Frequently asked questions