Highlands County, Florida: Florida Surge county. In 2024, voted R+41%. Republican peak: R+59 in 1972.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+41MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Florida SurgeAkashic typology
- Population
- 105,7022024 5-year
- Median household income
- $54,8972024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 68.4%2024 5-year
- Black
- 9.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 22.2%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+43 in 1940MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+59 in 1972MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Amherst County, VA · similarity 1.00
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Highlands CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Highlands 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 | No data |
| 1896 | No data |
| 1900 | No data |
| 1904 | No data |
| 1908 | No data |
| 1912 | No data |
| 1916 | No data |
| 1920 | No data |
| 1924 | +24.2% |
| 1928 | −34.6% |
| 1932 | +28.4% |
| 1936 | +38.5% |
| 1940 | +43.2% |
| 1944 | +41.5% |
| 1948 | +18.5% |
| 1952 | −3.8% |
| 1956 | −20.5% |
| 1960 | −16.6% |
| 1964 | −5.7% |
| 1968 | −18.6% |
| 1972 | −59.2% |
| 1976 | −7.0% |
| 1980 | −27.2% |
| 1984 | −39.1% |
| 1988 | −34.6% |
| 1992 | −10.1% |
| 1996 | −4.1% |
| 2000 | −17.2% |
| 2004 | −25.4% |
| 2008 | −18.1% |
| 2012 | −23.0% |
| 2016 | −32.0% |
| 2020 | −34.4% |
| 2024 | −40.8% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 15,223 | 36,382 | 51,901 | ||
| R | 16,938 | 34,873 | 52,170 | ||
| R | 14,937 | 29,565 | 45,686 | ||
| R | 16,148 | 25,915 | 42,444 | ||
| R | 18,135 | 26,221 | 44,783 | ||
| R | 15,347 | 25,878 | 41,496 | ||
| R | 14,169 | 20,207 | 35,152 | ||
| R | 14,250 | 15,617 | 33,714 | ||
| R | 11,237 | 14,499 | 32,391 | ||
| R | 8,091 | 16,723 | 24,941 | ||
| R | 7,217 | 16,474 | 23,694 | ||
| R | 6,688 | 11,925 | 19,249 | ||
| R | 7,218 | 8,317 | 15,733 | ||
| R | 2,458 | 9,645 | 12,133 | ||
| R | 2,582 | 4,560 | 10,617 | ||
| R | 4,233 | 4,747 | 8,980 | ||
| R | 3,122 | 4,369 | 7,491 | ||
| R | 2,296 | 3,480 | 5,776 | ||
| R | 2,736 | 2,952 | 5,688 | ||
| D | 2,257 | 1,471 | 4,260 | ||
| D | 2,113 | 874 | 2,987 | ||
| D | 2,215 | 878 | 3,093 | ||
| D | 1,898 | 842 | 2,740 | ||
| D | 1,525 | 851 | 2,376 | ||
| R | 669 | 1,393 | 2,094 | ||
| D | 457 | 265 | 794 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
14.1%
English
12.9%
Irish
9.3%
American
8.9%
Italian
4.6%
Scottish
2.1%
French
1.9%
African American
7.8%
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: 54.4 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
$54,897
Highlands County ranks in the bottom 25% of US counties.
Highlands County$54,897
Florida$74,568
United States$80,734
Highlands County ranks in the bottom 25% 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
15.3%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1817.1%
Working age (18–64)15.8%
Seniors (65+)11.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
78.8%
speak English only
Spanish17.9%
Other Indo-European1.6%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.2%
Other languages0.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 48.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Highlands County, anchored by Sebring and its citrus-and-cattle economy, has drifted steadily toward Republican supermajorities over the past decade, posting a 40-point margin in 2024 that places it among the state's most one-sided counties.
The Democratic margin here once reached forty-three points in 1940. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved six points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was forty-one points.
A population of 105,702, a 68% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $54,897 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Amherst County and Hardee 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.
Highlands County, Florida. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/12055/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
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Frequently asked questions
How did Highlands County, Florida vote in 2024?
In 2024, Highlands County, Florida voted Republican by 40.8 points (R+41), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 51,901 votes cast, 15,223 went Democratic and 36,382 went Republican.
What is Highlands County, Florida's political typology?
Akashic places Highlands County, Florida in the "Florida Surge" typology — Florida coastal and retiree counties that moved sharply Republican across the Trump era. 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 6 times, Republican 20 times, and other 0 times.
When did Highlands County, Florida last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Highlands County, Florida voted Democratic was 1948.
How many people live in Highlands County, Florida?
Highlands County, Florida has a population of 105,702 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Highlands County, Florida?
Median household income in Highlands County, Florida is $54,897 — below the national median of $80,734. The Florida state median is $74,568.
What is the political history of Highlands County, Florida?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Highlands County, Florida from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 20 went Republican. The county's typology — "Florida Surge" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.