HarrisDemocratic24.1%4,275TrumpRepublican74.0%13,122KennedyIndependent1.1%190
R+49.9- Lead
- 8,847
- Total
- 17,740
- vs nation
- R+48.4
- Turnout
- 67.3%
Akashiccounty
Whitley County, IN
Contests in this Place (89 available)
President34 · 1892–2024 · 3 mapped
▦ precinct · ▥ counties · ▢ no spatial detail
President margin by year
Place winner margin
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
The precinct map shows the 2024 presidential vote; the timeline scrubs the county’s overall result across 1892–2024.
President results by year
2024 turnout 67.3% of 26,644 citizens 18+
BidenDemocratic24.1%4,234TrumpRepublican73.3%12,862JorgensenLibertarian2.6%453
R+49.1- Lead
- 8,628
- Total
- 17,556
- vs nation
- R+53.6
- Turnout
- 68.4%
ClintonDemocratic21.4%3,379TrumpRepublican72.1%11,357JohnsonLibertarian5.1%799
R+50.6- Lead
- 7,978
- Total
- 15,758
- vs nation
- R+52.7
- Turnout
- 63.1%
ObamaDemocratic29.4%4,420RomneyRepublican68.2%10,258JohnsonLibertarian2.2%328
R+38.8- Lead
- 5,838
- Total
- 15,032
- vs nation
- R+42.7
- Turnout
- —
ObamaDemocratic38.6%5,862McCainRepublican60.1%9,124OtherAll other candidates1.3%202
R+21.5- Lead
- 3,262
- Total
- 15,188
- vs nation
- R+28.7
- Turnout
- —
KerryDemocratic28.8%3,880BushRepublican70.6%9,512OtherAll other candidates0.7%89
R+41.8- Lead
- 5,632
- Total
- 13,481
- vs nation
- R+39.3
- Turnout
- —
GoreDemocratic33.0%4,107BushRepublican65.0%8,080OtherAll other candidates2.0%245
R+32.0- Lead
- 3,973
- Total
- 12,432
- vs nation
- R+32.5
- Turnout
- —
ClintonDemocratic35.9%4,176DoleRepublican51.3%5,965PerotReform12.0%1,392
R+15.4- Lead
- 1,789
- Total
- 11,625
- vs nation
- R+23.9
- Turnout
- —
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+49.9MIT Election Lab
- Population
- 34,6182024 5-year
- Population density
- 103 / sq mi2024 5-year · TIGER/Line
- Land area
- 336 sq miTIGER/Line
- Median household income
- $78,0832024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 91.9%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 2.8%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+24.9 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+50.6 in 2016MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Wabash County, IN · twin score 94.0
Turnout and midterm durability
Participation measured against the same-year citizen voting-age population. Audited cycles count total general-election participants — ballots or participating voters, not presidential candidate votes. Cycles before 2016 predate that series and are derived from the certified presidential returns instead; they are marked everywhere they appear and are excluded from the figures below.
2004–20248 cycles · 5 audited
- 2024 turnout
- 67.3%17,928 participants ÷ 26,644 CVAP
- 2020→2022 drop-off
- +23.9 ptsPresidential-dependent
- Drop-off vs state
- -1.2 ptsPositive means a larger decline than the statewide pattern
- Mechanical 2026
- 43.4%–56.6%Recent-cycle and two-cycle persistence scenarios; not a forecast
Participation by cycle
Presidential Midterm Derived, pre-2016
Select a presidential cycle to show it on the map and results ledger above.
| Cycle | Participants | CVAP | Turnout | Series | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17,928 | 26,644 ± 193 | 67.3% | Audited | A/A | |
| 2022Mid | 11,695 | 26,278 ± 223 | 44.5% | Audited | A/A |
| 17,761 | 25,959 ± 210 | 68.4% | Audited | A/A | |
| 2018Mid | 16,865 | 25,651 ± 175 | 65.7% | Audited | A/A |
| 16,058 | 25,437 ± 157 | 63.1% | Audited | A/A | |
| 15,032 | 24,989 | 60.2% | Derived | — | |
| 15,188 | 24,206 | 62.7% | Derived | — | |
| 13,481 | 23,423 extrapolated | 57.6% | Derived | — |
Sources and methods
Audited cycles (2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024) count total general-election participants against the same-year CVAP special tabulation, each cell carrying its own numerator and denominator quality grade. Derived cycles (2004, 2008, 2012) come from the certified presidential returns on this page over the ACS 5-year CVAP series, so they measure presidential votes cast rather than ballots — a floor on participation. Where a derived cycle predates the ACS its denominator is extrapolated rather than read, and says so on its own line below. They are shown for the longer arc and are excluded from the drop-off, excess-drop-off, and 2026 scenario figures above.
- 2024: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 311/228.
- 2022: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 306/183.
- 2020: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 301/2.
- 2018: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 297/138.
- 2016: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 293/111.
- 2012 (derived): Certified presidential returns · ACS 5-year CVAP (B05003); presidential votes cast — a floor on participation, not a ballot count.
- 2008 (derived): Certified presidential returns · ACS 5-year CVAP (B05003); presidential votes cast — a floor on participation, not a ballot count.
- 2004 (derived): Certified presidential returns · extrapolated CVAP denominator; presidential votes cast — a floor on participation, not a ballot count; 2004 predates the ACS, so the denominator is a linear back-extrapolation from the 2008 and 2012 CVAP values, not a read figure.
Interactive election map
One map. Every available contest.
The map and local result cover Whitley County only. The complete district District 3 result is shown below for comparison.
Whitley County result
0 precinct units · 0 candidate votes
Kelly Thompson0—
District District 3 result
Loading the complete contest result…
Explore precinct resultsSearch, sort, compare years, or export CSV · 67 precincts
Precinct data
Results by precinct
67 precincts · 17,740 votes
Precinct boundaries and identifiers are cycle-specific. This table does not join rows across years without a validated crosswalk.
| Precinct -THORNCREEK SOUTHTHORNCREEK SOUTH | 202 | 722 | 20 | 944 | 21.4% | 76.5% | R+55.1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precinct -JEFFERSON EASTJEFFERSON EAST | 236 | 627 | 11 | 874 | 27.0% | 71.7% | R+44.7 |
| Precinct -COLUMBIA 2COLUMBIA 2 | 245 | 600 | 15 | 860 | 28.5% | 69.8% | R+41.3 |
| Precinct -COLUMBIA SOUTHCOLUMBIA SOUTH | 158 | 584 | 29 | 771 | 20.5% | 75.7% | R+55.3 |
| Precinct -SMITH NORTHWESTSMITH NORTHWEST | 167 | 581 | 8 | 756 | 22.1% | 76.9% | R+54.8 |
| Precinct -THORNCREEK NORTHWESTTHORNCREEK NORTHWEST | 178 | 540 | 17 | 735 | 24.2% | 73.5% | R+49.3 |
| Precinct -COLUMBIA 5COLUMBIA 5 | 219 | 486 | 12 | 717 | 30.5% | 67.8% | R+37.2 |
| Precinct -SMITH NORTHEASTSMITH NORTHEAST | 169 | 506 | 6 | 681 | 24.8% | 74.3% | R+49.5 |
| Precinct -CLEVELAND NORTHWESTCLEVELAND NORTHWEST | 161 | 449 | 17 | 627 | 25.7% | 71.6% | R+45.9 |
| Precinct -TROYTROY | 119 | 488 | 16 | 623 | 19.1% | 78.3% | R+59.2 |
| Precinct -COLUMBIA 6COLUMBIA 6 | 176 | 401 | 12 | 589 | 29.9% | 68.1% | R+38.2 |
| Precinct -COLUMBIA 1COLUMBIA 1 | 183 | 393 | 10 | 586 | 31.2% | 67.1% | R+35.8 |
| Precinct -COLUMBIA 7COLUMBIA 7 | 151 | 423 | 11 | 585 | 25.8% | 72.3% | R+46.5 |
| Precinct -UNION WESTUNION WEST | 132 | 433 | 11 | 576 | 22.9% | 75.2% | R+52.3 |
| Precinct -UNION EASTUNION EAST | 119 | 435 | 3 | 557 | 21.4% | 78.1% | R+56.7 |
| Precinct -JEFFERSON WESTJEFFERSON WEST | 131 | 388 | 11 | 530 | 24.7% | 73.2% | R+48.5 |
| Precinct -CLEVELAND NORTHEASTCLEVELAND NORTHEAST | 113 | 396 | 14 | 523 | 21.6% | 75.7% | R+54.1 |
| Precinct -COLUMBIA 4COLUMBIA 4 | 140 | 363 | 14 | 517 | 27.1% | 70.2% | R+43.1 |
| Precinct -RICHLAND SOUTHRICHLAND SOUTH | 78 | 423 | 6 | 507 | 15.4% | 83.4% | R+68.0 |
| Precinct -SMITH WESTSMITH WEST | 92 | 397 | 12 | 501 | 18.4% | 79.2% | R+60.9 |
| Precinct -ETNAETNA | 127 | 303 | 9 | 439 | 28.9% | 69.0% | R+40.1 |
| Precinct -THORNCREEK NORTHEASTTHORNCREEK NORTHEAST | 116 | 315 | 7 | 438 | 26.5% | 71.9% | R+45.4 |
| Precinct -RICHLAND NORTHRICHLAND NORTH | 88 | 335 | 8 | 431 | 20.4% | 77.7% | R+57.3 |
| Precinct -THORNCREEK NORTHTHORNCREEK NORTH | 123 | 299 | 8 | 430 | 28.6% | 69.5% | R+40.9 |
| Precinct -SMITH SOUTHSMITH SOUTH | 89 | 319 | 4 | 412 | 21.6% | 77.4% | R+55.8 |
| Precinct -COLUMBIA 3COLUMBIA 3 | 112 | 262 | 10 | 384 | 29.2% | 68.2% | R+39.1 |
| Precinct -WASHINGTON NORTHWASHINGTON NORTH | 67 | 288 | 5 | 360 | 18.6% | 80.0% | R+61.4 |
| Precinct -SMITH EASTSMITH EAST | 77 | 264 | 7 | 348 | 22.1% | 75.9% | R+53.7 |
| Precinct -CLEVELAND SOUTHCLEVELAND SOUTH | 61 | 280 | 5 | 346 | 17.6% | 80.9% | R+63.3 |
| Precinct -WASHINGTON SOUTHWASHINGTON SOUTH | 59 | 253 | 6 | 318 | 18.6% | 79.6% | R+61.0 |
| Precinct -COLUMBIA NORTHEASTCOLUMBIA NORTHEAST | 58 | 239 | 9 | 306 | 19.0% | 78.1% | R+59.2 |
| Precinct -UNION COLUMBIA CITYUNION COLUMBIA CITY | 89 | 164 | 1 | 254 | 35.0% | 64.6% | R+29.5 |
| Precinct -COLUMBIA NORTHWESTCOLUMBIA NORTHWEST | 40 | 166 | 9 | 215 | 18.6% | 77.2% | R+58.6 |
| CLEVELAND NORTHEAST18_1818300010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| CLEVELAND NORTHWEST18_1818300020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| CLEVELAND SOUTH18_1818300030 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| COLUMBIA 118_1818300040 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| COLUMBIA 218_1818300050 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| COLUMBIA 318_1818300060 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| COLUMBIA 418_1818300070 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| COLUMBIA 518_1818300080 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| COLUMBIA 618_1818300090 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| COLUMBIA 718_1818300100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| COLUMBIA 818_1818300110 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| COLUMBIA NORTHEAST18_1818300120 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| COLUMBIA NORTHWEST18_1818300130 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| COLUMBIA SOUTH18_1818300140 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| ETNA18_1818300150 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| JEFFERSON EAST18_1818300160 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| JEFFERSON WEST18_1818300170 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| RICHLAND NORTH18_1818300180 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| RICHLAND SOUTH18_1818300190 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| SMITH EAST18_1818300200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| SMITH NORTHEAST18_1818300210 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| SMITH NORTHWEST18_1818300220 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| SMITH SOUTH18_1818300230 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| SMITH WEST18_1818300240 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| THORNCREEK NORTH18_1818300250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| THORNCREEK NORTHEAST18_1818300260 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| THORNCREEK NORTHWEST18_1818300270 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| THORNCREEK SOUTH18_1818300280 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| TROY18_1818300290 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| UNION COLUMBIA CITY18_1818300300 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| UNION EAST18_1818300310 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| UNION WEST18_1818300320 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| WASHINGTON NORTH18_1818300330 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
| WASHINGTON SOUTH18_1818300340 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | No votes |
presidential history
Party record book
Whitley County, IN · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 · 34 presidential cycles
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Franklin D. Roosevelt1932
57.1%
5,058 votes · D+17.9
Runner-up · Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1936 · 55.9%
Republican
Donald Trump2024
74.0%
13,122 votes · R+49.9
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 73.3%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Barack Obama2008
5,862votes
38.6% of the vote · R+21.5
Runner-up · Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964 · 5,798 votes
Republican
Donald Trump2024
13,122votes
74.0% of the vote · R+49.9
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 12,862 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
James M. Cox1920
+19.2pts D vs U.S.
Place R+7.0 · U.S. R+26.2
Runner-up · Alton B. Parker, 1904 · +18.0 pts
Republican
Donald Trump2020
+53.6pts R vs U.S.
Place R+49.1 · U.S. D+4.5
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2016 · +52.7 pts
current representation
Current officeholders
RJustin BuschState Senate · 16
RDavid AbbottState House · 18
RChris JudyState House · 83
Seats representing Whitley County, IN. A county elects none of these itself — they are the members for the 1 congressional, 1 state senate and 2 state house districts it falls inside, so parts of the county are represented by different members.
U.S. House elections · 2 House
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
U.S. House
Each row shows U.S. House votes counted inside this Place. “Vote lead” is the local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
| Year | Vote lead | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 23.2%3,810 | 76.8%12,580 | 16,390 |
| 2020 | R | 23.6%4,082 | 76.4%13,249 | 17,331 |
voter registration
Registered voters
Total registered voters, over time
Registered voters
| Year | Total registered |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 22,711 |
| 2018 | 22,443 |
| 2020 | 23,538 |
| 2022 | 24,132 |
| 2024 | 24,632 |
domestic migration
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
+70 net domestic migration · 2025
20112025
Net +301 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $73,841 in average income, against $78,623 for residents who stayed — 6% lower. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+29.6 on average — 20 points more Democratic-leaning than Whitley County, IN itself (R+49.9).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Allen County, IN344R+12.5
- Kosciusko County, IN131R+52.2
- Noble County, IN81R+51.4
- Huntington County, IN38R+48.3
- DeKalb County, IN27R+47.1
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Allen County, IN345
- Kosciusko County, IN110
- Noble County, IN100
- Huntington County, IN54
- DeKalb County, IN33
- Wabash County, IN25
Migration is one input to a place’s political change, not its cause — a shift can also come from residents changing their minds, generational turnover, or turnout. These figures describe the places people moved between; they do not measure how any mover voted.
| Year | Net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2011 | −82 |
| 2012 | −91 |
| 2013 | −144 |
| 2014 | +50 |
| 2015 | −73 |
| 2016 | −89 |
| 2017 | +172 |
| 2018 | +201 |
| 2019 | −192 |
| 2021 | +140 |
| 2022 | +151 |
| 2023 | +149 |
| 2024 | +39 |
| 2025 | +70 |
Whitley County, anchored by the small city of Columbia City, delivered a nearly 50-point Republican presidential margin in 2024, reflecting the deep rural conservatism that defines much of northeastern Indiana's agricultural corridor.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 24.9 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 50.6 points in 2016. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 0.7 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 49.9 points.
A population of 34,618, a 92% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $78,083 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Wabash County and Huntington County.
Political twins — counties
The counties whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Wabash County
Indiana
94.0twin score
elasticity2000–2016 trajectory
Huntington County
Indiana
93.9twin score
elasticity2004–2016 trajectory
Montgomery County
Indiana
93.8twin score
2004–2020 trajectory≠ elasticity
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.
Browse places by community — income, education, race & ethnicity, language — all community cuts →
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.
Whitley County, Indiana. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/18183/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Embed this page
A live widget for your site — no API key, attribution built in, CC BY 4.0. All widgets & sizes →
Cities & towns in Whitley County
Indiana at the ballot boxAll elections →
Frequently asked questions
How did Whitley County, Indiana vote in 2024?
In 2024, Whitley County, Indiana voted Republican by 49.9 points (R+49.9), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 17,740 votes cast, 4,275 went Democratic and 13,122 went Republican.
When did Whitley County, Indiana last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Whitley County, Indiana voted Democratic was 1964.
How many people live in Whitley County, Indiana?
Whitley County, Indiana has a population of 34,618 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Whitley County, Indiana?
Median household income in Whitley County, Indiana is $78,083 — below the national median of $80,734. The Indiana state median is $71,957.
What is the political history of Whitley County, Indiana?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Whitley County, Indiana from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 9 went Democratic and 25 went Republican.