South Carolina 3rd State Senate District, South Carolina: Realigner district. In 2024, voted R+47%. Democratic peak: D+99 in 1936.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+47MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- RealignerAkashic typology
- Population
- 98,2382024 5-year
- Median household income
- $66,6512024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 76.5%2024 5-year
- Black
- 13.6%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 5.2%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+99 in 1916MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+53 in 1972MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State Senate District 3, 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 | 11,800 | 33,525 | 45,878 | ||
| R | 12,681 | 31,535 | 44,850 | ||
| R | 9,847 | 26,246 | 37,564 | ||
| R | 10,457 | 22,734 | 33,704 | ||
| R | 11,263 | 22,725 | 34,439 | ||
| R | 9,660 | 20,235 | 30,208 | ||
| R | 9,151 | 16,722 | 26,455 | ||
| R | 8,149 | 11,266 | 21,362 | ||
| R | 7,501 | 11,572 | 22,390 | ||
| R | 5,732 | 12,107 | 17,915 | ||
| R | 4,819 | 11,259 | 16,192 | ||
| D | 8,775 | 7,312 | 16,478 | ||
| D | 8,869 | 4,432 | 13,374 | ||
| R | 2,446 | 8,174 | 10,871 | ||
| O | 2,435 | 2,642 | 10,858 | ||
| D | 5,447 | 3,920 | 9,366 | ||
| D | 6,488 | 1,795 | 8,283 | ||
| D | 5,295 | 1,020 | 6,894 | ||
| D | 5,444 | 1,558 | 7,002 | ||
| D | 1,205 | 49 | 1,880 | ||
| D | 1,254 | 42 | 1,390 | ||
| D | 1,756 | 40 | 1,796 | ||
| D | 1,879 | 0 | 1,891 | ||
| D | 1,898 | 0 | 1,912 | ||
| D | 831 | 28 | 859 | ||
| D | 679 | 4 | 685 | ||
| D | 1,162 | 15 | 1,177 | ||
| D | 1,218 | 3 | 1,224 | ||
| D | 1,007 | 0 | 1,057 | ||
| D | 980 | 27 | 1,008 | ||
| D | 911 | 31 | 942 | ||
| D | 867 | 32 | 899 | ||
| D | 1,451 | 172 | 1,631 | ||
| D | 1,049 | 90 | 1,207 | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
14.7%
American
12.5%
Irish
11.2%
German
8.8%
Scottish
2.9%
Italian
2.5%
Polish
1.8%
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: 40.6 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
$66,651
State Senate District 3 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State Senate District 3$66,651
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
14.6%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1821.7%
Working age (18–64)12.5%
Seniors (65+)11.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
95.0%
speak English only
Spanish2.8%
Other Indo-European1.3%
Other languages0.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 27.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
With a 2024 presidential margin of R+25.9, this district trends well above the state's already conservative baseline, suggesting a durable Republican coalition rooted in its mix of rural inland precincts and coastal communities.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in South Carolina 3rd State Senate District peaked at ninety-nine points in 1936; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1984 election delivered the district to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of forty points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. The median household income of $66,651 is among the lowest at this geographic scale; 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line.
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 Senate District 3, South Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/45003/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State Senate District 3, South Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, State Senate District 3, South Carolina voted Republican by 47.4 points (R+47), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 45,878 votes cast, 11,800 went Democratic and 33,525 went Republican.
What is State Senate District 3, South Carolina's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State Senate District 3, South Carolina as a "Realigner" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 21 times, Republican 12 times, and other 1 times.
When did State Senate District 3, South Carolina last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 3, South Carolina voted Democratic was 1980.
How many people live in State Senate District 3, South Carolina?
State Senate District 3, South Carolina has a population of 98,238 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 3, South Carolina?
Median household income in State Senate District 3, South Carolina is $66,651 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of State Senate District 3, South Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State Senate District 3, South Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 21 went Democratic and 12 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Realigner" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.