Howard County, Indiana: Farm Belt county. In 2024, voted R+35%. Republican peak: R+48 in 1972.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+35MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Farm BeltAkashic typology
- Population
- 83,7522024 5-year
- Median household income
- $64,0272024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 84.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 7.4%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 4.1%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+16 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+48 in 1972MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Cass County, IN · similarity 1.00
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Howard CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Howard 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 | −17.8% |
| 1896 | −13.3% |
| 1900 | −19.5% |
| 1904 | −35.6% |
| 1908 | −10.6% |
| 1912 | +7.6% |
| 1916 | −8.4% |
| 1920 | −26.0% |
| 1924 | −28.7% |
| 1928 | −35.5% |
| 1932 | +6.2% |
| 1936 | +12.3% |
| 1940 | +3.2% |
| 1944 | −1.3% |
| 1948 | +8.5% |
| 1952 | −8.0% |
| 1956 | −17.2% |
| 1960 | −14.4% |
| 1964 | +15.9% |
| 1968 | −15.5% |
| 1972 | −47.9% |
| 1976 | −13.7% |
| 1980 | −23.3% |
| 1984 | −36.1% |
| 1988 | −26.7% |
| 1992 | −14.6% |
| 1996 | −14.4% |
| 2000 | −21.8% |
| 2004 | −28.9% |
| 2008 | −6.2% |
| 2012 | −14.3% |
| 2016 | −33.4% |
| 2020 | −32.4% |
| 2024 | −35.2% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 12,197 | 25,871 | 38,897 | ||
| R | 13,303 | 26,449 | 40,630 | ||
| R | 11,215 | 23,675 | 37,342 | ||
| R | 15,135 | 20,327 | 36,291 | ||
| R | 17,871 | 20,248 | 38,624 | ||
| R | 12,998 | 23,714 | 37,021 | ||
| R | 12,899 | 20,331 | 34,095 | ||
| R | 11,999 | 16,771 | 33,205 | ||
| R | 10,288 | 15,306 | 34,340 | ||
| R | 11,518 | 19,971 | 31,620 | ||
| R | 10,458 | 22,386 | 33,046 | ||
| R | 12,916 | 21,272 | 35,910 | ||
| R | 14,815 | 19,571 | 34,653 | ||
| R | 8,083 | 23,089 | 31,341 | ||
| R | 11,026 | 15,905 | 31,566 | ||
| D | 17,809 | 12,897 | 30,941 | ||
| R | 13,415 | 17,938 | 31,502 | ||
| R | 12,159 | 17,234 | 29,581 | ||
| R | 12,938 | 15,212 | 28,517 | ||
| D | 12,937 | 10,874 | 24,362 | ||
| R | 11,224 | 11,515 | 23,265 | ||
| D | 12,655 | 11,855 | 24,793 | ||
| D | 12,288 | 9,534 | 22,346 | ||
| D | 10,541 | 9,257 | 20,744 | ||
| R | 5,930 | 12,632 | 18,885 | ||
| R | 5,451 | 10,438 | 17,383 | ||
| R | 5,767 | 10,379 | 17,730 | ||
| R | 3,934 | 4,777 | 10,082 | ||
| O | 2,824 | 2,152 | 8,839 | ||
| R | 3,497 | 4,423 | 8,741 | ||
| R | 2,098 | 5,014 | 8,196 | ||
| R | 2,823 | 4,308 | 7,605 | ||
| R | 3,191 | 4,195 | 7,546 | ||
| R | 2,331 | 3,576 | 6,999 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
16.3%
English
12.9%
American
11.5%
Irish
8.4%
Polish
1.5%
Italian
1.3%
French
1.3%
African American
5.9%
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: 40.7 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
$64,027
Howard County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Howard County$64,027
Indiana$71,957
United States$80,734
Howard 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
13.4%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1818.6%
Working age (18–64)12.6%
Seniors (65+)6.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
96.7%
speak English only
Asian & Pacific Islander1.2%
Spanish1.1%
Other Indo-European0.8%
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 52.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Howard County's economy has long centered on auto-parts production in Kokomo, and its voting pattern reflects a working-class industrial base that has shifted decisively toward Republican candidates over the past two decades, now landing at R+35 in 2024.
The Republican margin here reached forty-eight points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was thirty-five points.
A population of 83,752, a 85% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $64,027 describe an agricultural county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Cass County and White 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.
Howard County, Indiana. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/18067/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More farm belt counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Howard County, Indiana vote in 2024?
In 2024, Howard County, Indiana voted Republican by 35.2 points (R+35), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 38,897 votes cast, 12,197 went Democratic and 25,871 went Republican.
What is Howard County, Indiana's political typology?
Akashic places Howard County, Indiana in the "Farm Belt" typology — Rural Plains and Midwest farm counties — Republican, with modest recent movement. 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 5 times, Republican 28 times, and other 1 times.
When did Howard County, Indiana last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Howard County, Indiana voted Democratic was 1964.
How many people live in Howard County, Indiana?
Howard County, Indiana has a population of 83,752 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Howard County, Indiana?
Median household income in Howard County, Indiana is $64,027 — below the national median of $80,734. The Indiana state median is $71,957.
What is the political history of Howard County, Indiana?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Howard County, Indiana from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 28 went Republican. The county's typology — "Farm Belt" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.