† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupWinston-SalemNorth CarolinaUnited States
English11.4%12.7%9.5%
German8.5%9.4%12.5%
Irish6.7%8.4%9.4%
American5.3%8.3%5.3%
Italian2.4%3.3%4.8%
Scottish1.8%2.3%1.3%
Scotch-Irish1.3%1.4%—
Polish0.9%1.0%2.2%
African American†29.8%18.3%9.9%
African0.9%0.7%0.5%
Jamaican0.4%0.2%0.4%
Nigerian0.3%0.2%0.2%
Mexican9.9%5.6%11.3%
Puerto Rican1.9%1.2%1.8%
Salvadoran1.6%0.7%0.7%
Dominican0.7%0.3%0.7%
Colombian0.6%0.3%0.4%
Cuban0.5%0.3%0.7%
Honduran0.5%0.7%0.3%
Guatemalan0.4%0.4%0.5%
Asian Indian0.6%1.2%1.4%
Chinese0.6%0.4%1.3%
Filipino0.4%0.2%0.9%
Pakistani0.2%——
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
United States
Median age
35.9
39.5
39.1
Age 18–24
11.7%
9.5%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
15.3%
17.2%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
United States
Median household income
$59,268
$72,388
$84,427
Poverty rate
17.7%
13.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
39.5%
35.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
19.5%
13.5%
22.3%
Spanish
15.1%
8.7%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
1.0%
1.1%
2.0%
Religious landscape
Measure
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
United States
Catholic
—
8.9%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
26.5%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
48.0%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+11.3%
2008
+29.3%
2012
+27.3%
2016
+31.2%
2020
+34.3%
2024
+33.3%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
65.8%Harris81,101
32.5%Trump40,097
1.7%
D+33.3
R+1.0
D+34.7
123,316
D
66.3%Biden82,281
32.0%Trump39,748
1.6%
D+34.3
D+3.0
D+29.8
124,062
D
63.4%Clinton71,519
32.2%Trump36,300
4.4%
D+31.2
D+3.9
D+29.1
112,756
D
63.1%Obama70,311
35.8%Romney39,894
1.1%
D+27.3
R+2.0
D+23.4
111,472
D
64.2%Obama68,202
34.9%McCain37,036
0.9%
D+29.3
D+18.0
D+22.1
106,239
D
55.4%Kerry47,623
44.1%Bush37,893
0.5%
D+11.3
—
D+13.8
85,923
Winston-Salem has shifted steadily toward Democratic margins in recent cycles, driven by a majority-minority population and a large university and medical-sector workforce anchored by Wake Forest Baptist Health.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 34.3 points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 1.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 33.3 points.
A population of 252,037, a 44% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $59,268 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Greensboro and Little Rock.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
How did Winston-Salem, North Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Winston-Salem, North Carolina voted Democratic by 33.3 points (D+33.3), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 123,316 votes cast, 81,101 went Democratic and 40,097 went Republican.
How many people live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina?
Winston-Salem, North Carolina has a population of 252,037 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Winston-Salem, North Carolina?
Median household income in Winston-Salem, North Carolina is $59,268 — below the national median of $80,734. The North Carolina state median is $72,388.
What is the political history of Winston-Salem, North Carolina?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Winston-Salem, North Carolina from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
