Washington County, Arkansas: Diversifying Metro county. In 2024, voted R+7%. Democratic peak: D+53 in 1932.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+7MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Diversifying MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 256,7652024 5-year
- Median household income
- $70,6392024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 62.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.0%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 18.6%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+53 in 1932MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+42 in 1972MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Madison County, AL · similarity 0.92
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Washington CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Washington County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | +12.7% |
| 1896 | +45.2% |
| 1900 | +31.7% |
| 1904 | +17.2% |
| 1908 | +22.2% |
| 1912 | +42.0% |
| 1916 | +28.5% |
| 1920 | +10.6% |
| 1924 | +20.0% |
| 1928 | −13.2% |
| 1932 | +52.6% |
| 1936 | +36.1% |
| 1940 | +22.2% |
| 1944 | +0.1% |
| 1948 | +9.0% |
| 1952 | −27.4% |
| 1956 | −22.4% |
| 1960 | −30.0% |
| 1964 | +19.4% |
| 1968 | −20.6% |
| 1972 | −42.2% |
| 1976 | +5.0% |
| 1980 | −24.0% |
| 1984 | −37.3% |
| 1988 | −30.1% |
| 1992 | +3.6% |
| 1996 | +2.1% |
| 2000 | −13.2% |
| 2004 | −12.7% |
| 2008 | −13.1% |
| 2012 | −16.3% |
| 2016 | −10.4% |
| 2020 | −3.9% |
| 2024 | −6.7% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 43,779 | 50,243 | 97,158 | ||
| R | 43,824 | 47,504 | 94,266 | ||
| R | 33,366 | 41,476 | 78,202 | ||
| R | 28,236 | 39,688 | 70,460 | ||
| R | 29,021 | 37,963 | 68,380 | ||
| R | 27,597 | 35,726 | 64,103 | ||
| R | 21,425 | 28,231 | 51,459 | ||
| D | 20,419 | 19,476 | 43,967 | ||
| D | 22,029 | 20,292 | 47,880 | ||
| R | 12,557 | 23,601 | 36,658 | ||
| R | 11,319 | 24,993 | 36,698 | ||
| R | 12,276 | 20,788 | 35,421 | ||
| D | 15,610 | 14,132 | 29,834 | ||
| R | 7,108 | 17,523 | 24,701 | ||
| R | 6,131 | 10,640 | 21,863 | ||
| D | 10,166 | 6,856 | 17,070 | ||
| R | 5,391 | 10,088 | 15,679 | ||
| R | 4,857 | 7,683 | 12,623 | ||
| R | 4,923 | 8,650 | 13,611 | ||
| D | 3,493 | 2,859 | 7,074 | ||
| D | 3,089 | 3,084 | 6,201 | ||
| D | 2,873 | 1,819 | 4,750 | ||
| D | 3,378 | 1,579 | 4,977 | ||
| D | 4,971 | 1,502 | 6,596 | ||
| R | 2,395 | 3,132 | 5,567 | ||
| D | 2,281 | 1,466 | 4,083 | ||
| D | 2,637 | 2,118 | 4,879 | ||
| D | 2,922 | 1,625 | 4,547 | ||
| D | 1,881 | 565 | 3,137 | ||
| D | 2,748 | 1,704 | 4,709 | ||
| D | 1,978 | 1,369 | 3,536 | ||
| D | 2,658 | 1,347 | 4,132 | ||
| D | 3,208 | 1,197 | 4,445 | ||
| D | 2,457 | 1,871 | 4,612 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
12.5%
German
10.5%
Irish
8.6%
American
4.8%
Scottish
2.2%
Italian
2.0%
French
1.6%
African American
2.4%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
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.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 32.5 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.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$70,639
Washington County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Washington County$70,639
Arkansas$60,773
United States$80,734
Washington County ranks near the middle of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
14.6%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1816.3%
Working age (18–64)14.3%
Seniors (65+)10.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
82.5%
speak English only
Spanish13.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander3.3%
Other Indo-European1.0%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 40.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Washington County's large university-town population keeps its presidential margins closer than most of Arkansas, swinging between single-digit Republican advantages and occasional Democratic competitiveness over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin here reached fifty-three points in 1932. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was seven points.
A population of 256,765, a 63% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $70,639 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Madison County and Hamilton County.
Most similar counties
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.
Washington County, Arkansas. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/05143/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More diversifying metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Washington County, Arkansas vote in 2024?
In 2024, Washington County, Arkansas voted Republican by 6.7 points (R+7), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 97,158 votes cast, 43,779 went Democratic and 50,243 went Republican.
What is Washington County, Arkansas's political typology?
Akashic places Washington County, Arkansas in the "Diversifying Metro" typology — Mid-size metropolitan counties growing more diverse and trending Democratic. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 18 times, Republican 16 times, and other 0 times.
When did Washington County, Arkansas last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Washington County, Arkansas voted Democratic was 1996.
How many people live in Washington County, Arkansas?
Washington County, Arkansas has a population of 256,765 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Washington County, Arkansas?
Median household income in Washington County, Arkansas is $70,639 — below the national median of $80,734. The Arkansas state median is $60,773.
What is the political history of Washington County, Arkansas?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Washington County, Arkansas from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 16 went Republican. The county's typology — "Diversifying Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.