Swain County, North Carolina
Precinct data
Results by precinct
5 precincts · 7,052 votes
Precinct boundaries and identifiers are cycle-specific. This table does not join rows across years without a validated crosswalk.
| Precinct -WHCHWHCH | 1,028 | 910 | 39 | 1,977 | 52.0% | 46.0% | D+6.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precinct -BC2BC2 | 559 | 1,098 | 17 | 1,674 | 33.4% | 65.6% | R+32.2 |
| Precinct -BC1BC1 | 519 | 1,124 | 16 | 1,659 | 31.3% | 67.8% | R+36.5 |
| Precinct -ALMONDALMOND | 344 | 734 | 17 | 1,095 | 31.4% | 67.0% | R+35.6 |
| Precinct -ALARKAALARKA | 193 | 445 | 9 | 647 | 29.8% | 68.8% | R+38.9 |
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +12.8% |
| 1896 | +20.7% |
| 1900 | −14.0% |
| 1904 | −24.8% |
| 1908 | −21.5% |
| 1912 | +29.6% |
| 1916 | −15.3% |
| 1920 | −21.9% |
| 1924 | −10.3% |
| 1928 | −18.1% |
| 1932 | +12.0% |
| 1936 | +11.4% |
| 1940 | +25.9% |
| 1944 | +16.7% |
| 1948 | +15.4% |
| 1952 | +7.4% |
| 1956 | −6.1% |
| 1960 | +1.4% |
| 1964 | +19.9% |
| 1968 | −8.2% |
| 1972 | −29.9% |
| 1976 | +14.4% |
| 1980 | +15.1% |
| 1984 | −0.3% |
| 1988 | +0.7% |
| 1992 | +11.0% |
| 1996 | +11.4% |
| 2000 | −2.9% |
| 2004 | −3.4% |
| 2008 | −1.6% |
| 2012 | −6.3% |
| 2016 | −22.4% |
| 2020 | −19.5% |
| 2024 | −23.7% |
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | R | 35.8%1,708 | 60.4%2,884 | 4,771 |
| 2020 | R | 38.7%2,696 | 55.2%3,846 | 6,971 |
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Registration leans Republican; the presidential vote runs 18 points more Democratic.
| Year | Total registered | Democratic | Republican | Unaffiliated | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 9,382 | 4,418 | 2,477 | 2,483 | 4 |
| 2012 | 10,198 | 4,460 | 2,633 | 3,083 | 22 |
| 2016 | 10,582 | 4,182 | 2,677 | 3,690 | 33 |
| 2020 | 10,097 | 3,403 | 2,940 | 3,691 | 63 |
| 2022 | 9,942 | 3,026 | 3,050 | 3,800 | 66 |
| 2024 | 10,255 | 2,752 | 3,305 | 4,082 | 116 |
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
+41 net domestic migration · 2025
Net +595 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $52,183 in average income, against $57,667 for residents who stayed — 10% lower. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+9.3 on average — 14 points more Democratic-leaning than Swain County, NC itself (R+23.7).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Jackson County, NC151R+9.3
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Jackson County, NC166
- Haywood County, NC27
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 | +23 |
| 2012 | −2 |
| 2013 | −65 |
| 2014 | +215 |
| 2015 | +48 |
| 2016 | −146 |
| 2017 | +122 |
| 2018 | +49 |
| 2019 | +103 |
| 2021 | +140 |
| 2022 | −117 |
| 2023 | +53 |
| 2024 | +131 |
| 2025 | +41 |
Swain County's unusual land profile — roughly 80% federally owned — shapes both its tax base and its economy, with Cherokee tourism and timber history defining a rural electorate that has leaned Republican by widening margins over the past decade.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 29.6 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 29.9 points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 4.1 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 23.7 points.
A population of 14,013, a 59% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $52,349 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Fulton County and Bladen 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 →
Swain County, North Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/37173/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.