Durham County, North Carolina: Diversifying Metro county. In 2024, voted D+62%. Democratic peak: D+71 in 1940.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+62MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Diversifying MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 332,3532024 5-year
- Median household income
- $82,3162024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 43.4%2024 5-year
- Black
- 32.1%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 15.8%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+71 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+32 in 1928MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Orange County, NC · similarity 0.99
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Durham CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Durham 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 | +6.4% |
| 1896 | +11.6% |
| 1900 | +7.9% |
| 1904 | +19.4% |
| 1908 | +1.1% |
| 1912 | +58.8% |
| 1916 | +14.6% |
| 1920 | +13.4% |
| 1924 | +21.4% |
| 1928 | −32.1% |
| 1932 | +44.8% |
| 1936 | +70.8% |
| 1940 | +71.2% |
| 1944 | +55.1% |
| 1948 | +39.7% |
| 1952 | +25.2% |
| 1956 | +2.3% |
| 1960 | +14.8% |
| 1964 | +20.0% |
| 1968 | +9.0% |
| 1972 | −24.0% |
| 1976 | +8.4% |
| 1980 | +11.9% |
| 1984 | +5.0% |
| 1988 | +8.4% |
| 1992 | +23.9% |
| 1996 | +26.4% |
| 2000 | −28.1% |
| 2004 | +36.4% |
| 2008 | +51.9% |
| 2012 | +52.8% |
| 2016 | +59.5% |
| 2020 | +62.4% |
| 2024 | +61.7% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 144,450 | 32,853 | 180,912 | ||
| D | 144,688 | 32,459 | 179,914 | ||
| D | 121,250 | 28,350 | 156,134 | ||
| D | 111,224 | 33,769 | 146,735 | ||
| D | 103,456 | 32,353 | 136,897 | ||
| D | 74,524 | 34,614 | 109,651 | ||
| R | 30,150 | 53,907 | 84,604 | ||
| D | 49,186 | 27,825 | 80,910 | ||
| D | 47,331 | 27,581 | 82,682 | ||
| D | 35,441 | 29,928 | 65,883 | ||
| D | 32,244 | 29,185 | 61,584 | ||
| D | 24,969 | 19,276 | 47,901 | ||
| D | 22,425 | 18,945 | 41,533 | ||
| R | 15,566 | 25,576 | 41,667 | ||
| D | 16,563 | 12,705 | 42,810 | ||
| D | 22,874 | 15,264 | 38,138 | ||
| D | 19,298 | 14,322 | 33,620 | ||
| D | 13,835 | 13,226 | 27,061 | ||
| D | 18,897 | 11,301 | 30,198 | ||
| D | 11,530 | 4,531 | 17,613 | ||
| D | 12,763 | 3,690 | 16,453 | ||
| D | 14,810 | 2,491 | 17,301 | ||
| D | 12,804 | 2,189 | 14,993 | ||
| D | 7,559 | 2,770 | 10,680 | ||
| R | 4,482 | 8,723 | 13,205 | ||
| D | 4,837 | 3,093 | 8,151 | ||
| D | 4,646 | 3,550 | 8,196 | ||
| D | 2,463 | 1,837 | 4,300 | ||
| D | 2,197 | 124 | 3,526 | ||
| D | 1,859 | 1,820 | 3,688 | ||
| D | 1,603 | 1,080 | 2,693 | ||
| D | 2,373 | 2,026 | 4,418 | ||
| D | 2,435 | 1,924 | 4,411 | ||
| D | 1,490 | 1,264 | 3,518 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
11.0%
German
8.2%
Irish
7.2%
American
4.0%
Italian
3.6%
Scottish
2.1%
Polish
1.8%
African American
25.7%
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: 36.1 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
$82,316
Durham County ranks in the top 25% of US counties.
Durham County$82,316
North Carolina$72,388
United States$80,734
Durham 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
11.5%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1816.4%
Working age (18–64)10.3%
Seniors (65+)8.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
78.8%
speak English only
Spanish13.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander3.3%
Other Indo-European2.6%
Other languages1.9%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 55.0% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Home to Duke University and a majority-minority population, Durham County recorded a D+61.7 margin in 2024, making it North Carolina's most Democratic county by a wide measure and a reliable counterweight to the state's competitive statewide results.
The Democratic margin here reached seventy-one points in 1940. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved one point toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was sixty-two points.
A population of 332,353, a 43% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $82,316 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Orange County and Travis 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.
Durham County, North Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/37063/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in North Carolina
More diversifying metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Durham County, North Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Durham County, North Carolina voted Democratic by 61.7 points (D+62), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 180,912 votes cast, 144,450 went Democratic and 32,853 went Republican.
What is Durham County, North Carolina's political typology?
Akashic places Durham County, North Carolina in the "Diversifying Metro" typology — Mid-size metropolitan counties growing more diverse and trending Democratic. 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 31 times, Republican 3 times, and other 0 times.
When did Durham County, North Carolina last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Durham County, North Carolina voted Republican was 2000.
How many people live in Durham County, North Carolina?
Durham County, North Carolina has a population of 332,353 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Durham County, North Carolina?
Median household income in Durham County, North Carolina is $82,316 — above the national median of $80,734. The North Carolina state median is $72,388.
What is the political history of Durham County, North Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Durham County, North Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 31 went Democratic and 3 went Republican. The county's typology — "Diversifying Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.