Washington County, Missouri: Appalachian Realigners county. In 2024, voted R+65%. Republican peak: R+65 in 2024.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+65MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Appalachian RealignersAkashic typology
- Population
- 23,4702024 5-year
- Median household income
- $56,0432024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 92.1%2024 5-year
- Black
- 1.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 1.1%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+26 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+65 in 2024MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Harrison County, OH · similarity 1.00
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 | +4.1% |
| 1896 | −3.0% |
| 1900 | −7.7% |
| 1904 | −10.9% |
| 1908 | −13.5% |
| 1912 | +2.4% |
| 1916 | −8.5% |
| 1920 | −17.4% |
| 1924 | −10.0% |
| 1928 | −18.1% |
| 1932 | +18.5% |
| 1936 | +0.6% |
| 1940 | −14.0% |
| 1944 | −16.8% |
| 1948 | +3.7% |
| 1952 | −10.8% |
| 1956 | −17.4% |
| 1960 | −12.9% |
| 1964 | +26.2% |
| 1968 | −6.1% |
| 1972 | −26.3% |
| 1976 | +16.7% |
| 1980 | −8.8% |
| 1984 | −11.4% |
| 1988 | +7.2% |
| 1992 | +25.6% |
| 1996 | +26.2% |
| 2000 | +0.3% |
| 2004 | −2.0% |
| 2008 | +0.1% |
| 2012 | −19.0% |
| 2016 | −54.9% |
| 2020 | −62.5% |
| 2024 | −65.0% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 1,747 | 8,424 | 10,270 | ||
| R | 1,804 | 8,047 | 9,989 | ||
| R | 1,926 | 7,048 | 9,331 | ||
| R | 3,417 | 5,071 | 8,695 | ||
| D | 4,711 | 4,706 | 9,614 | ||
| R | 4,459 | 4,641 | 9,178 | ||
| D | 4,047 | 4,020 | 8,265 | ||
| D | 4,315 | 2,259 | 7,850 | ||
| D | 4,211 | 2,157 | 8,010 | ||
| D | 3,744 | 3,240 | 7,000 | ||
| R | 2,987 | 3,755 | 6,742 | ||
| R | 2,873 | 3,439 | 6,465 | ||
| D | 3,543 | 2,526 | 6,108 | ||
| R | 2,229 | 3,818 | 6,047 | ||
| R | 2,292 | 2,641 | 5,709 | ||
| D | 3,908 | 2,286 | 6,194 | ||
| R | 2,649 | 3,437 | 6,086 | ||
| R | 2,380 | 3,383 | 5,763 | ||
| R | 2,684 | 3,338 | 6,033 | ||
| D | 2,370 | 2,200 | 4,585 | ||
| R | 2,065 | 2,900 | 4,974 | ||
| R | 2,881 | 3,817 | 6,706 | ||
| D | 2,942 | 2,909 | 5,902 | ||
| D | 3,275 | 2,246 | 5,559 | ||
| R | 2,091 | 3,019 | 5,120 | ||
| R | 1,955 | 2,397 | 4,405 | ||
| R | 1,837 | 2,618 | 4,486 | ||
| R | 1,394 | 1,657 | 3,080 | ||
| D | 1,121 | 1,059 | 2,566 | ||
| R | 1,330 | 1,753 | 3,124 | ||
| R | 1,339 | 1,673 | 3,062 | ||
| R | 1,500 | 1,751 | 3,267 | ||
| R | 1,458 | 1,547 | 3,009 | ||
| D | 1,303 | 1,200 | 2,524 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
14.0%
American
13.5%
Irish
11.1%
English
10.5%
French
6.0%
Italian
2.4%
Scottish
0.5%
African American
1.4%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
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
$56,043
Washington County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Washington County$56,043
Missouri$70,702
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
17.4%
Children face higher poverty than working-age adults.
Children under 1825.5%
Working age (18–64)15.3%
Seniors (65+)8.9%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
98.3%
speak English only
Other Indo-European0.8%
Spanish0.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.1%
Other languages0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 66.0% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Washington County's R+65.2 margin in 2024 places it among Missouri's most lopsided presidential results, reflecting a predominantly rural, small-town electorate with limited economic diversification and a long shift away from its historically Democratic roots.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin peaked at twenty-six points in 1996 and narrowed across the late twentieth century. The 2012 election carried the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by nineteen points. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was sixty-five points.
The economic context is severe: a median household income of $56,043 — among the lowest at this geographic scale — and a 17% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Harrison County and Iron 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, Missouri. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/29221/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More appalachian realigners counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Washington County, Missouri vote in 2024?
In 2024, Washington County, Missouri voted Republican by 65.0 points (R+65), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 10,270 votes cast, 1,747 went Democratic and 8,424 went Republican.
What is Washington County, Missouri's political typology?
Akashic places Washington County, Missouri in the "Appalachian Realigners" typology — Lower-income counties of Greater Appalachia — a long, deep arc from Democratic to Republican. 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 12 times, Republican 22 times, and other 0 times.
When did Washington County, Missouri last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Washington County, Missouri voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Washington County, Missouri?
Washington County, Missouri has a population of 23,470 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Washington County, Missouri?
Median household income in Washington County, Missouri is $56,043 — below the national median of $80,734. The Missouri state median is $70,702.
What is the political history of Washington County, Missouri?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Washington County, Missouri from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 12 went Democratic and 22 went Republican. The county's typology — "Appalachian Realigners" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.