Jackson County, North Carolina: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted R+9%. Democratic peak: D+40 in 1912.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+9MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 43,7712024 5-year
- Median household income
- $55,8152024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 79.4%2024 5-year
- Black
- 2.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 8.0%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+40 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+19 in 1972MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- LaSalle County, IL · similarity 0.97
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Jackson CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Jackson County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
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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 | +23.0% |
| 1896 | +13.5% |
| 1900 | +1.5% |
| 1904 | +3.4% |
| 1908 | −3.0% |
| 1912 | +39.6% |
| 1916 | +0.7% |
| 1920 | +0.6% |
| 1924 | +5.3% |
| 1928 | −5.1% |
| 1932 | +21.5% |
| 1936 | +19.9% |
| 1940 | +30.9% |
| 1944 | +20.8% |
| 1948 | +22.1% |
| 1952 | +7.7% |
| 1956 | +3.9% |
| 1960 | −1.5% |
| 1964 | +21.3% |
| 1968 | −10.2% |
| 1972 | −19.3% |
| 1976 | +19.2% |
| 1980 | +7.7% |
| 1984 | −12.2% |
| 1988 | −2.3% |
| 1992 | +12.8% |
| 1996 | +9.2% |
| 2000 | +4.2% |
| 2004 | −4.3% |
| 2008 | +5.4% |
| 2012 | −1.0% |
| 2016 | −11.5% |
| 2020 | −8.2% |
| 2024 | −9.3% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 9,746 | 11,796 | 21,942 | ||
| R | 9,591 | 11,356 | 21,428 | ||
| R | 7,713 | 9,870 | 18,713 | ||
| R | 8,095 | 8,254 | 16,701 | ||
| D | 8,766 | 7,854 | 16,866 | ||
| R | 6,737 | 7,351 | 14,174 | ||
| D | 6,237 | 5,722 | 12,121 | ||
| D | 5,211 | 4,244 | 10,506 | ||
| D | 5,753 | 4,275 | 11,558 | ||
| R | 4,933 | 5,166 | 10,123 | ||
| R | 4,367 | 5,582 | 9,974 | ||
| D | 4,857 | 4,140 | 9,310 | ||
| D | 5,223 | 3,536 | 8,785 | ||
| R | 3,169 | 4,709 | 7,967 | ||
| R | 2,956 | 3,747 | 7,783 | ||
| D | 4,905 | 3,183 | 8,088 | ||
| R | 3,900 | 4,017 | 7,917 | ||
| D | 3,787 | 3,503 | 7,290 | ||
| D | 4,296 | 3,680 | 7,976 | ||
| D | 4,005 | 2,520 | 6,725 | ||
| D | 4,109 | 2,694 | 6,803 | ||
| D | 4,563 | 2,410 | 6,973 | ||
| D | 4,580 | 3,061 | 7,641 | ||
| D | 4,360 | 2,813 | 7,208 | ||
| R | 3,171 | 3,512 | 6,683 | ||
| D | 3,100 | 2,788 | 5,905 | ||
| D | 2,385 | 2,355 | 4,740 | ||
| D | 1,306 | 1,288 | 2,594 | ||
| D | 1,210 | 315 | 2,259 | ||
| R | 1,022 | 1,086 | 2,110 | ||
| D | 1,015 | 947 | 1,972 | ||
| D | 1,080 | 1,047 | 2,147 | ||
| D | 1,145 | 873 | 2,018 | ||
| D | 977 | 578 | 1,735 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
18.0%
English
15.9%
Irish
9.5%
German
9.3%
Scottish
3.6%
Italian
2.2%
French
1.5%
African American
1.8%
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: 38.1 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
$55,815
Jackson County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Jackson County$55,815
North Carolina$72,388
United States$80,734
Jackson 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
18.0%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1822.1%
Working age (18–64)17.5%
Seniors (65+)14.0%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
91.9%
speak English only
Spanish5.2%
Other languages1.6%
Other Indo-European0.8%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.5%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 58.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Home to the Qualla Boundary, the eastern homeland of the Cherokee Nation, Jackson County blends rural Appalachian demographics with a significant Native American population — a combination that has historically kept its presidential margins closer than surrounding mountain counties.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached forty points in 1912; the Republican margin reached nineteen points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved one point toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was nine points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 79% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $55,815, and a 18% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of LaSalle County and Calhoun 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.
Jackson County, North Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/37099/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in North Carolina
More industrial catholic metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Jackson County, North Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Jackson County, North Carolina voted Republican by 9.3 points (R+9), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 21,942 votes cast, 9,746 went Democratic and 11,796 went Republican.
What is Jackson County, North Carolina's political typology?
Akashic places Jackson County, North Carolina 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 22 times, Republican 12 times, and other 0 times.
When did Jackson County, North Carolina last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Jackson County, North Carolina voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Jackson County, North Carolina?
Jackson County, North Carolina has a population of 43,771 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Jackson County, North Carolina?
Median household income in Jackson County, North Carolina is $55,815 — below the national median of $80,734. The North Carolina state median is $72,388.
What is the political history of Jackson County, North Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Jackson County, North Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 22 went Democratic and 12 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.