akashic
1876–2024
State Senate District 17·West Virginia

West Virginia 17th State Senate District has voted Republican in six straight presidential cycles.

One of the most Republican-leaning state senate districts in the country

1876 — 2024·38 elections
WV
Latest
R+17
in 2024
Archetype
Republican loyalist
since the recent cycles
Population
107,115
2024 ACS

West Virginia 17th State Senate District, West Virginia: Republican loyalist district. In 2024, voted R+17%. Democratic peak: D+30 in 1964.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+17MIT Election Lab
Political archetype
Republican loyalistAkashic typology
Population
107,1152024 5-year
Median household income
$60,9432024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
86.4%2024 5-year
Black
4.9%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
1.6%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+30 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+26 in 1972MIT Election Lab
2024 results by constituent county
1 counties · 0 D · 1 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).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−17.4%
18,34326,30445,652
R
−14.7%
20,83828,15249,906
R
−20.3%
17,14926,60646,652
R
−11.8%
19,70725,09845,696
R
−0.4%
24,63124,84850,045
R
−1.6%
26,09726,95853,351
D
+2.2%
23,37522,33446,520
D
+14.4%
24,48717,78546,414
D
+8.5%
23,24819,02749,556
D
+3.8%
24,96423,14248,263
R
−15.3%
22,95531,24754,330
D
+0.2%
25,98725,85055,676
D
+11.9%
32,52325,61358,136
R
−26.2%
23,07639,45262,528
D
+4.9%
28,30525,30960,606
D
+29.5%
42,78323,28966,072
R
−2.4%
33,05834,66467,722
R
−7.6%
30,51335,55466,067
R
−2.1%
33,09234,50167,593
D
+12.7%
32,28724,96457,457
D
+13.0%
28,76022,13950,900
D
+18.2%
35,15124,33959,489
D
+17.9%
30,82421,47152,364
D
+4.2%
23,43121,51345,398
R
−16.6%
15,51021,71537,337
R
−6.2%
13,78915,78732,128
R
−10.3%
11,70114,42926,557
D
+0.9%
6,2356,12612,724
O
+27.3%
4,0401,08010,842
R
−14.3%
4,3185,86310,772
R
−20.5%
3,4925,3749,167
D
+20.8%
4,3982,8747,310
R
−17.9%
2,9274,2167,188
R
−5.3%
2,7603,0816,021
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Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
17.1%
Irish
11.6%
German
10.8%
American
8.4%
Italian
2.9%
Scottish
2.4%
Polish
1.1%
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: 43.8 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.9%
85+
1.7%
2.8%
75–84
3.5%
6.1%
65–74
7.1%
6.6%
55–64
7.2%
6.1%
45–54
6.3%
6.0%
35–44
6.0%
6.1%
25–34
6.3%
3.9%
18–24
3.7%
7.7%
5–17
7.2%
2.5%
<5
2.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$60,943
State Senate District 17 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State Senate District 17$60,943
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
15.7%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1820.6%
Working age (18–64)15.0%
Seniors (65+)11.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
97.7%
speak English only
Other Indo-European1.0%
Spanish0.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.3%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Other Christian
13.5%
Baptist
8.8%
Methodist
5.5%
Catholic & Orthodox
5.0%
Pentecostal & Holiness
4.6%
Mainline Protestant
2.8%
Non-Christian
0.6%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 59.2% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

With a 2024 presidential margin of R+73.3, this southern West Virginia district ranks among the most one-sided legislative constituencies in the nation, reflecting deep structural shifts in Appalachian coalfield communities over the past two decades.

The Republican margin in West Virginia 17th State Senate District reached its widest at twenty-six points in 1972. The margin in 2024 was seventeen points, in line with the district's deep historical pattern.

Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $60,943, a 86% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 107,115 together describe a district whose political habits are deeply settled.

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 17, West Virginia. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/54017/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did State Senate District 17, West Virginia vote in 2024?
In 2024, State Senate District 17, West Virginia voted Republican by 17.4 points (R+17), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 45,652 votes cast, 18,343 went Democratic and 26,304 went Republican.
What is State Senate District 17, West Virginia's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State Senate District 17, West Virginia as a "Republican loyalist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 15 times, Republican 18 times, and other 1 times.
When did State Senate District 17, West Virginia last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 17, West Virginia voted Democratic was 2000.
How many people live in State Senate District 17, West Virginia?
State Senate District 17, West Virginia has a population of 107,115 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 17, West Virginia?
Median household income in State Senate District 17, West Virginia is $60,943 — below the national median of $80,734. The West Virginia state median is $59,608.
What is the political history of State Senate District 17, West Virginia?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State Senate District 17, West Virginia from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 15 went Democratic and 18 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Republican loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.