West Virginia, West Virginia: Republican loyalist state. In 2024, voted R+42%. Republican peak: R+42 in 2024.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+42MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Republican loyalistAkashic typology
- Population
- 1,778,3732024 5-year
- Median household income
- $59,6082024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 90.3%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 2.1%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+36 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+42 in 2016MIT Election Lab
Browse all of West Virginia
Constituent county margins for West Virginia, 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 | 214,309 | 533,556 | 762,390 | ||
| R | 235,984 | 545,382 | 794,731 | ||
| R | 188,794 | 489,371 | 721,261 | ||
| R | 238,269 | 417,655 | 672,119 | ||
| R | 303,857 | 397,466 | 713,362 | ||
| R | 326,541 | 423,778 | 755,887 | ||
| R | 295,497 | 336,475 | 648,124 | ||
| D | 327,812 | 233,946 | 636,459 | ||
| D | 331,001 | 241,974 | 683,711 | ||
| D | 341,016 | 310,065 | 653,311 | ||
| R | 328,125 | 405,483 | 735,742 | ||
| D | 367,462 | 334,206 | 737,715 | ||
| D | 435,914 | 314,760 | 750,674 | ||
| R | 277,435 | 484,964 | 762,399 | ||
| D | 374,091 | 307,555 | 754,206 | ||
| D | 538,087 | 253,953 | 792,040 | ||
| D | 441,786 | 395,995 | 837,781 | ||
| R | 381,534 | 449,297 | 830,831 | ||
| D | 453,578 | 419,970 | 873,548 | ||
| D | 429,188 | 316,251 | 748,750 | ||
| D | 392,777 | 322,819 | 715,596 | ||
| D | 495,662 | 372,414 | 868,076 | ||
| D | 502,582 | 325,358 | 829,945 | ||
| D | 405,097 | 330,731 | 743,747 | ||
| R | 263,784 | 375,551 | 642,752 | ||
| R | 257,232 | 288,635 | 583,662 | ||
| R | 220,789 | 282,007 | 509,940 | ||
| R | 140,403 | 143,124 | 289,671 | ||
| D | 113,097 | 56,754 | 264,211 | ||
| R | 111,418 | 137,869 | 258,153 | ||
| R | 100,881 | 132,628 | 240,028 | ||
| D | 119,829 | 98,807 | 220,716 | ||
| R | 94,480 | 105,379 | 201,757 | ||
| D | 84,467 | 80,292 | 171,079 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
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Congressional elections · 18 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 27.8% | 68.8% | 747,717 |
| 2020 | R | 27.0% | 70.3% | 778,918 |
| 2018 | D | 49.5% | 46.3% | 582,911 |
| 2014 | R | 34.5% | 62.1% | 453,689 |
| 2012 | D | 60.6% | 36.5% | 660,202 |
| 2010 | D | 53.5% | 43.4% | 529,948 |
| 2008 | D | 63.7% | 36.3% | 702,308 |
| 2006 | D | 77.0% | 23.0% | 206,562 |
| 2002 | D | 63.1% | 36.9% | 436,183 |
| 2000 | D | 77.8% | 20.2% | 603,477 |
| 1996 | D | 76.6% | 23.4% | 595,614 |
| 1994 | D | 69.0% | 31.0% | 420,936 |
| 1990 | D | 68.3% | 31.7% | 404,305 |
| 1988 | D | 64.8% | 35.2% | 634,547 |
| 1984 | D | 51.8% | 47.7% | 722,212 |
| 1982 | D | 68.5% | 30.8% | 565,314 |
| 1978 | D | 50.5% | 49.5% | 493,351 |
| 1976 | D | 100.0% | 0.0% | 566,359 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
15.7%
German
14.7%
Irish
12.3%
American
9.5%
Italian
4.1%
Scottish
2.1%
Polish
1.3%
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: 42.9 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
$59,608
West Virginia ranks near the middle of US counties.
West Virginia$59,608
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
16.7%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1821.5%
Working age (18–64)15.9%
Seniors (65+)12.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
97.5%
speak English only
Spanish1.2%
Other Indo-European0.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.4%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 62.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
West Virginia sits in southern Appalachia. Its political identity has been Republican for as long as anyone now living can remember. 3 consecutive presidential elections in modern records have gone for the Republican candidate, often by margins that would be considered landslide territory anywhere else.
The Republican margin in West Virginia reached its widest at forty-two points in 2024. The margin in 2024 was forty-two points, in line with the state's deep historical pattern.
Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $59,608, a 90% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 1,778,373 together describe a state 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.
West Virginia, West Virginia. Akashic. https://akashic.app/state/WV/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in West Virginia
Frequently asked questions
How did West Virginia, West Virginia vote in 2024?
In 2024, West Virginia, West Virginia voted Republican by 41.9 points (R+42), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 762,390 votes cast, 214,309 went Democratic and 533,556 went Republican.
What is West Virginia, West Virginia's political archetype?
Akashic classifies West Virginia, West Virginia as a "Republican loyalist" state based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the state has voted Democratic 17 times, Republican 17 times, and other 0 times.
When did West Virginia, West Virginia last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which West Virginia, West Virginia voted Democratic was 1996.
How many people live in West Virginia, West Virginia?
West Virginia, West Virginia has a population of 1,778,373 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in West Virginia, West Virginia?
Median household income in West Virginia, West Virginia is $59,608 — below the national median of $80,734. The West Virginia state median is $59,608.
What is the political history of West Virginia, West Virginia?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in West Virginia, West Virginia from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 17 went Democratic and 17 went Republican. The state's archetype — "Republican loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.