Virginia 3rd State Senate District, Virginia: Populist district. In 2024, voted R+27%. Democratic peak: D+39 in 1912.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+27MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 211,8422024 5-year
- Median household income
- $72,2752024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 85.1%2024 5-year
- Black
- 6.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 4.0%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+39 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+35 in 1956MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State Senate District 3, VAOne 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 | 42,462 | 74,212 | 118,455 | ||
| R | 41,575 | 71,553 | 115,298 | ||
| R | 33,438 | 62,450 | 101,689 | ||
| R | 38,634 | 58,871 | 99,348 | ||
| R | 40,106 | 56,725 | 98,067 | ||
| R | 32,211 | 56,862 | 89,906 | ||
| R | 29,478 | 46,698 | 78,577 | ||
| R | 29,165 | 36,510 | 73,356 | ||
| R | 27,915 | 37,287 | 77,057 | ||
| R | 25,631 | 41,610 | 68,096 | ||
| R | 21,855 | 45,370 | 67,670 | ||
| R | 26,163 | 34,546 | 64,118 | ||
| R | 27,895 | 28,536 | 58,095 | ||
| R | 30,856 | 63,870 | 97,185 | ||
| R | 12,177 | 27,001 | 49,383 | ||
| D | 41,860 | 32,826 | 74,846 | ||
| R | 12,498 | 19,509 | 32,127 | ||
| R | 8,086 | 17,363 | 26,282 | ||
| R | 9,650 | 16,595 | 26,294 | ||
| R | 9,349 | 9,393 | 20,525 | ||
| D | 10,486 | 7,430 | 17,968 | ||
| D | 10,682 | 6,172 | 16,948 | ||
| D | 10,889 | 6,460 | 17,430 | ||
| D | 9,552 | 5,667 | 15,465 | ||
| R | 6,120 | 8,923 | 15,042 | ||
| D | 6,625 | 4,673 | 12,047 | ||
| D | 6,808 | 5,364 | 12,287 | ||
| D | 4,831 | 2,947 | 7,919 | ||
| D | 4,371 | 1,499 | 7,385 | ||
| D | 4,357 | 3,318 | 7,882 | ||
| D | 4,209 | 3,118 | 7,516 | ||
| R | 6,284 | 7,033 | 13,595 | ||
| R | 6,565 | 8,022 | 15,074 | ||
| D | 7,804 | 5,067 | 13,363 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
15.5%
German
13.3%
Irish
10.4%
American
10.2%
Italian
2.8%
Scottish
2.5%
French
1.0%
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: 43.3 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
$72,275
State Senate District 3 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State Senate District 3$72,275
Virginia$93,170
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
9.7%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1810.9%
Working age (18–64)9.2%
Seniors (65+)10.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
94.5%
speak English only
Spanish2.9%
Other Indo-European1.2%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.1%
Other languages0.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 48.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
With a 2024 presidential margin of D+34.1, this Northern Virginia district ranks among the state's most reliably left-leaning constituencies, where turnout patterns and demographic density tend to set the baseline for statewide Democratic performance.
The Democratic margin in Virginia 3rd State Senate District peaked at thirty-nine points in 1912. By 1968 the district had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was twenty-seven points, the most Republican-leaning result in the district's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $72,275 sits well below state and national norms, and 10% 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 Senate District 3, Virginia. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/51003/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State Senate District 3, Virginia vote in 2024?
In 2024, State Senate District 3, Virginia voted Republican by 26.8 points (R+27), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 118,455 votes cast, 42,462 went Democratic and 74,212 went Republican.
What is State Senate District 3, Virginia's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State Senate District 3, Virginia as a "Populist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 12 times, Republican 22 times, and other 0 times.
When did State Senate District 3, Virginia last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 3, Virginia voted Democratic was 1964.
How many people live in State Senate District 3, Virginia?
State Senate District 3, Virginia has a population of 211,842 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, Virginia?
Median household income in State Senate District 3, Virginia is $72,275 — below the national median of $80,734. The Virginia state median is $93,170.
What is the political history of State Senate District 3, Virginia?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State Senate District 3, Virginia from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 12 went Democratic and 22 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.