Burke County, North Carolina
Precinct data
Results by precinct
31 precincts · 45,847 votes
Precinct boundaries and identifiers are cycle-specific. This table does not join rows across years without a validated crosswalk.
| Precinct -00510051 | 835 | 1,771 | 25 | 2,631 | 31.7% | 67.3% | R+35.6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precinct -00720072 | 482 | 2,091 | 20 | 2,593 | 18.6% | 80.6% | R+62.1 |
| Precinct -00010001 | 672 | 1,732 | 28 | 2,432 | 27.6% | 71.2% | R+43.6 |
| Precinct -00110011 | 419 | 1,890 | 18 | 2,327 | 18.0% | 81.2% | R+63.2 |
| Precinct -00130013 | 350 | 1,865 | 15 | 2,230 | 15.7% | 83.6% | R+67.9 |
| Precinct -00700070 | 539 | 1,487 | 20 | 2,046 | 26.3% | 72.7% | R+46.3 |
| Precinct -00240024 | 536 | 1,460 | 20 | 2,016 | 26.6% | 72.4% | R+45.8 |
| Precinct -00710071 | 325 | 1,393 | 12 | 1,730 | 18.8% | 80.5% | R+61.7 |
| Precinct -00480048 | 672 | 1,011 | 13 | 1,696 | 39.6% | 59.6% | R+20.0 |
| Precinct -00380038 | 614 | 1,021 | 19 | 1,654 | 37.1% | 61.7% | R+24.6 |
| Precinct -00660066 | 377 | 1,194 | 7 | 1,578 | 23.9% | 75.7% | R+51.8 |
| Precinct -0047-A0047-A | 691 | 862 | 23 | 1,576 | 43.8% | 54.7% | R+10.9 |
| Precinct -00220022 | 348 | 1,205 | 17 | 1,570 | 22.2% | 76.8% | R+54.6 |
| Precinct -00140014 | 209 | 1,339 | 8 | 1,556 | 13.4% | 86.1% | R+72.6 |
| Precinct -00120012 | 173 | 1,349 | 13 | 1,535 | 11.3% | 87.9% | R+76.6 |
| Precinct -00340034 | 785 | 665 | 20 | 1,470 | 53.4% | 45.2% | D+8.2 |
| Precinct -00360036 | 322 | 1,135 | 13 | 1,470 | 21.9% | 77.2% | R+55.3 |
| Precinct -00310031 | 922 | 512 | 28 | 1,462 | 63.1% | 35.0% | D+28.0 |
| Precinct -00390039 | 661 | 745 | 27 | 1,433 | 46.1% | 52.0% | R+5.9 |
| Precinct -00400040 | 441 | 907 | 14 | 1,362 | 32.4% | 66.6% | R+34.2 |
| Precinct -00210021 | 297 | 835 | 9 | 1,141 | 26.0% | 73.2% | R+47.2 |
| Precinct -00150015 | 237 | 833 | 12 | 1,082 | 21.9% | 77.0% | R+55.1 |
| Precinct -0047-B0047-B | 364 | 709 | 8 | 1,081 | 33.7% | 65.6% | R+31.9 |
| Precinct -00350035 | 572 | 493 | 11 | 1,076 | 53.2% | 45.8% | D+7.3 |
| Precinct -00520052 | 267 | 728 | 11 | 1,006 | 26.5% | 72.4% | R+45.8 |
| Precinct -00030003 | 191 | 736 | 4 | 931 | 20.5% | 79.1% | R+58.5 |
| Precinct -00200020 | 357 | 474 | 10 | 841 | 42.4% | 56.4% | R+13.9 |
| Precinct -00620062 | 151 | 531 | 4 | 686 | 22.0% | 77.4% | R+55.4 |
| Precinct -00640064 | 153 | 512 | 4 | 669 | 22.9% | 76.5% | R+53.7 |
| Precinct -00190019 | 171 | 363 | 6 | 540 | 31.7% | 67.2% | R+35.6 |
| Precinct -00180018 | 139 | 282 | 6 | 427 | 32.6% | 66.0% | R+33.5 |
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +11.3% |
| 1896 | +5.6% |
| 1900 | +11.1% |
| 1904 | +3.8% |
| 1908 | −1.8% |
| 1912 | +48.8% |
| 1916 | +4.7% |
| 1920 | −4.8% |
| 1924 | +12.9% |
| 1928 | −27.9% |
| 1932 | +9.7% |
| 1936 | +15.0% |
| 1940 | +19.4% |
| 1944 | +7.4% |
| 1948 | −1.1% |
| 1952 | −17.9% |
| 1956 | −19.3% |
| 1960 | −12.7% |
| 1964 | +11.9% |
| 1968 | −23.7% |
| 1972 | −39.4% |
| 1976 | +17.1% |
| 1980 | −5.0% |
| 1984 | −28.8% |
| 1988 | −19.0% |
| 1992 | −2.8% |
| 1996 | −7.7% |
| 2000 | −21.3% |
| 2004 | −23.4% |
| 2008 | −19.2% |
| 2012 | −23.4% |
| 2016 | −38.5% |
| 2020 | −40.1% |
| 2024 | −41.1% |
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | R | 29.5%8,847 | 68.3%20,456 | 29,964 |
| 2020 | R | 29.7%13,108 | 65.5%28,934 | 44,170 |
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Registration leans Republican; the presidential vote runs 21 points more Democratic.
| Year | Total registered | Democratic | Republican | Unaffiliated | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 55,405 | 22,684 | 19,841 | 12,839 | 41 |
| 2012 | 58,826 | 22,008 | 20,602 | 16,056 | 160 |
| 2016 | 58,586 | 19,322 | 20,675 | 18,334 | 255 |
| 2020 | 58,392 | 15,423 | 22,740 | 19,821 | 408 |
| 2022 | 59,055 | 13,474 | 23,319 | 21,890 | 372 |
| 2024 | 61,321 | 12,436 | 25,035 | 23,346 | 504 |
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
+487 net domestic migration · 2025
Net +3,689 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $58,394 in average income, against $63,171 for residents who stayed — 8% lower. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+32.0 on average — 9.1 points more Democratic-leaning than Burke County, NC itself (R+41.1).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Catawba County, NC403R+37.9
- Caldwell County, NC287R+52.5
- McDowell County, NC169R+49.1
- Mecklenburg County, NC79D+32.7
- Buncombe County, NC66D+24.7
- Lincoln County, NC38R+45.6
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Catawba County, NC421
- Caldwell County, NC296
- McDowell County, NC92
- Mecklenburg County, NC59
- Buncombe County, NC57
- Wake County, NC45
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 | +80 |
| 2012 | −546 |
| 2013 | −491 |
| 2014 | +35 |
| 2015 | +124 |
| 2016 | +191 |
| 2017 | +679 |
| 2018 | +339 |
| 2019 | +171 |
| 2021 | +468 |
| 2022 | +866 |
| 2023 | +725 |
| 2024 | +561 |
| 2025 | +487 |
Nestled against the Blue Ridge in western North Carolina, Burke County has shifted decisively toward Republican candidates over the past two decades, with its manufacturing-rooted, majority-white electorate consistently producing some of the state's widest presidential margins.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 48.8 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 41.1 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 1.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 41.1 points.
A population of 87,795, a 79% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $58,592 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Rutherford County and Caldwell County.
The counties whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
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 →
Burke County, North Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/37023/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.