Salem County, New Jersey: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted R+19%. Republican peak: R+61 in 1928.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+19MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 65,2752024 5-year
- Median household income
- $79,9602024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 72.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 14.7%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 11.3%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+35 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+61 in 1928MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Somerset County, MD · similarity 0.97
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Salem CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Salem 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 | +1.3% |
| 1896 | −13.4% |
| 1900 | −6.2% |
| 1904 | −13.6% |
| 1908 | −7.7% |
| 1912 | +15.5% |
| 1916 | −9.6% |
| 1920 | −36.2% |
| 1924 | −41.4% |
| 1928 | −60.7% |
| 1932 | −14.4% |
| 1936 | +20.3% |
| 1940 | +20.1% |
| 1944 | +13.1% |
| 1948 | +1.7% |
| 1952 | −2.8% |
| 1956 | −20.6% |
| 1960 | −6.8% |
| 1964 | +34.5% |
| 1968 | −0.9% |
| 1972 | −30.7% |
| 1976 | +4.8% |
| 1980 | −11.0% |
| 1984 | −31.9% |
| 1988 | −20.6% |
| 1992 | −1.1% |
| 1996 | +10.6% |
| 2000 | +5.4% |
| 2004 | −6.6% |
| 2008 | +3.9% |
| 2012 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | −15.0% |
| 2020 | −12.9% |
| 2024 | −19.2% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 12,275 | 18,229 | 31,085 | ||
| R | 14,479 | 18,827 | 33,712 | ||
| R | 11,904 | 16,381 | 29,853 | ||
| D | 14,719 | 14,334 | 29,623 | ||
| D | 16,044 | 14,816 | 31,363 | ||
| R | 13,749 | 15,721 | 29,781 | ||
| D | 13,718 | 12,257 | 26,972 | ||
| D | 12,044 | 9,294 | 25,992 | ||
| R | 10,062 | 10,363 | 27,935 | ||
| R | 9,956 | 15,240 | 25,606 | ||
| R | 8,935 | 17,368 | 26,452 | ||
| R | 10,209 | 13,000 | 25,474 | ||
| D | 12,826 | 11,639 | 24,977 | ||
| R | 8,609 | 16,371 | 25,249 | ||
| R | 11,172 | 11,407 | 26,251 | ||
| D | 17,846 | 8,682 | 26,545 | ||
| R | 12,394 | 14,192 | 26,607 | ||
| R | 9,276 | 14,091 | 23,423 | ||
| R | 11,362 | 12,026 | 23,442 | ||
| D | 9,278 | 8,961 | 18,418 | ||
| D | 10,345 | 7,942 | 18,310 | ||
| D | 12,244 | 8,132 | 20,433 | ||
| D | 11,614 | 7,671 | 19,402 | ||
| R | 7,357 | 9,870 | 17,425 | ||
| R | 3,001 | 12,323 | 15,360 | ||
| R | 3,206 | 8,027 | 11,657 | ||
| R | 3,483 | 7,638 | 11,485 | ||
| R | 3,353 | 4,080 | 7,588 | ||
| D | 2,745 | 1,803 | 6,081 | ||
| R | 3,173 | 3,713 | 7,017 | ||
| R | 2,775 | 3,694 | 6,750 | ||
| R | 2,981 | 3,398 | 6,710 | ||
| R | 2,802 | 3,717 | 6,836 | ||
| D | 3,237 | 3,152 | 6,700 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
16.9%
Irish
16.9%
English
12.3%
Italian
11.3%
American
3.8%
Polish
3.7%
French
1.5%
African American
11.8%
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: 41.9 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
$79,960
Salem County ranks in the top 25% of US counties.
Salem County$79,960
New Jersey$103,556
United States$80,734
Salem County ranks in the top 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
12.7%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1820.0%
Working age (18–64)10.5%
Seniors (65+)11.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
91.2%
speak English only
Spanish6.6%
Other Indo-European1.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.8%
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 67.2% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Salem County's agricultural flatlands and small manufacturing towns anchor a voter base that has moved Republican by double digits over the past two presidential cycles, reaching R+19.2 in 2024.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached thirty-five points in 1964; the Republican margin reached sixty-one points in 1928. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved six points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was nineteen points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 73% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $79,960, and a 13% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Somerset County and Macomb 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.
Salem County, New Jersey. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/34033/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in New Jersey
More industrial catholic metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Salem County, New Jersey vote in 2024?
In 2024, Salem County, New Jersey voted Republican by 19.2 points (R+19), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 31,085 votes cast, 12,275 went Democratic and 18,229 went Republican.
What is Salem County, New Jersey's political typology?
Akashic places Salem County, New Jersey in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" typology — Mid-size industrial metros with Catholic ethnic roots — among the most competitive, swing-prone ground in the country. 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 Salem County, New Jersey last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Salem County, New Jersey voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Salem County, New Jersey?
Salem County, New Jersey has a population of 65,275 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Salem County, New Jersey?
Median household income in Salem County, New Jersey is $79,960 — below the national median of $80,734. The New Jersey state median is $103,556.
What is the political history of Salem County, New Jersey?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Salem County, New Jersey from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 12 went Democratic and 22 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.