Buncombe County, North Carolina: Professional Migration
North Carolina · Presidential Elections 1892–2024
D+24.7
2024 Margin
D+3.6%
2020→2024 Swing
D since 2008
Voting Streak
🏘️ Prof. Migration
Classification
269K
Population
Buncombe County, North Carolina voted D+24.7 for Kamala Harris in 2024, with Harris receiving 98,662 votes (61.47%). This represented a D+3.6% swing toward Democrats compared to 2020. The county has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 2008.
Electoral Behavior
🏘️
Professional MigrationView all
Growing metro exurbs and suburbs receiving educated professionals from cities. These areas are shifting blue as remote work and urban flight bring liberal voters. Examples: Atlanta suburbs, DFW exurbs, Denver metro.
Volatility
4.0
Elasticity
Moderate
Trend
+0.7/yr
Quick Stats
2024 ResultD+24.7
2020→2024 SwingD+3.6%
Voting StreakD since 2008
Elections on Record34
Demographics
Population269,452
Median Age
42.3(US: 38.4)
College (BA+)
62.8%(US: 47.9%)
Median Income
$66,531(US: $78k)
White (non-Hisp)
81.2%(US: 57.5%)
Hispanic
8.3%(US: 18.6%)
Black
5.7%(US: 12.3%)
Asian
1.1%(US: 5.7%)
Homeownership
64.4%(US: 64.2%)
Poverty Rate
11.8%(US: 12.4%)
Veterans
6.7%(US: 6.4%)
Presidential Elections
| Year | Democrat | Republican | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 61.5%(98,662) | 36.8%(59,016) | D+24.7 | +3.6 |
| 2020 | 59.7%(96,515) | 38.6%(62,412) | D+21.1 | +6.9 |
| 2016 | 54.3%(75,452) | 40.1%(55,716) | D+14.2 | +1.7 |
| 2012 | 55.3%(70,625) | 42.8%(54,701) | D+12.5 | -1.4 |
| 2008 | 56.3%(69,716) | 42.4%(52,494) | D+13.9 | +14.5 |
| 2004 | 49.4%(51,868) | 50.0%(52,491) | R+0.6 | +8.3 |
| 2000 | 45.1%(38,545) | 53.9%(46,101) | R+8.8 | -10.5 |
| 1996 | 45.8%(31,658) | 44.2%(30,518) | D+1.6 | -1.1 |
| 1992 | 43.6%(32,955) | 40.9%(30,892) | D+2.7 | +18.1 |
| 1988 | 42.1%(26,964) | 57.5%(36,828) | R+15.4 | +8.1 |
Senate Elections
| Year | Democrat | Republican | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 61.4%(73,807) | 36.0%(43,222) | D+25.5 | +5.5 |
| 2020 | 57.9%(92,664) | 37.9%(60,688) | D+20.0 | +5.6 |
| 2016 | 55.2%(75,897) | 40.8%(56,086) | D+14.4 | -3.5 |
| 2014 | 56.9%(49,455) | 39.0%(33,872) | D+17.9 | +14.9 |
| 2010 | 50.2%(39,017) | 47.1%(36,632) | D+3.1 | -16.5 |
| 2008 | 57.8%(70,777) | 38.3%(46,855) | D+19.5 | +14.6 |
| 2004 | 51.4%(51,745) | 46.5%(46,763) | D+5.0 | +5.0 |
| 2002 | 49.4%(31,359) | 49.4%(31,360) | Even | -5.9 |
| 1998 | 52.1%(30,321) | 46.2%(26,902) | D+5.9 | +4.3 |
| 1996 | 49.9%(35,813) | 48.3%(34,648) | D+1.6 | +5.4 |
Governor Elections
| Year | Democrat | Republican | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 67.6%(106,611) | 28.1%(44,373) | D+39.5 | +13.8 |
| 2020 | 62.0%(99,395) | 36.3%(58,153) | D+25.7 | +4.0 |
| 2016 | 59.3%(81,877) | 37.6%(51,874) | D+21.7 | +16.3 |
| 2012 | 51.0%(64,389) | 45.6%(57,541) | D+5.4 | -13.0 |
| 2008 | 57.2%(69,783) | 38.8%(47,283) | D+18.4 | +0.5 |
| 2004 | 57.7%(58,863) | 39.8%(40,551) | D+18.0 | +13.7 |
| 2000 | 50.5%(43,436) | 46.3%(39,802) | D+4.2 | -1.2 |
| 1996 | 51.7%(36,973) | 46.3%(33,086) | D+5.4 | -1.4 |
| 1992 | 52.2%(38,748) | 45.3%(33,659) | D+6.8 | +19.1 |
| 1988 | 43.9%(28,881) | 56.1%(36,968) | R+12.3 | -6.6 |
Primary Election History
| Year | Party | Winner | Runner-up | Nominee? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Dem | Bernie Sanders(37.6%) | Joe Biden(24.9%) | ✗ |
| 2016 | Dem | Bernie Sanders(62.2%) | Hillary Clinton(35.3%) | ✗ |
| 2016 | GOP | Ted Cruz(42.1%) | Donald Trump(31.0%) | ✗ |
| 2008 | Dem | Barack Obama(54.7%) | Hillary Clinton(43.6%) | ✓ |
✓ = County picked eventual party nominee