Watauga County, North Carolina: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted D+6%. Republican peak: R+29 in 1984.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+6MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 55,1232024 5-year
- Median household income
- $51,6932024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 89.8%2024 5-year
- Black
- 2.0%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 6.2%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+24 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+29 in 1984MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Forsyth County, NC · similarity 0.86
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Watauga CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Watauga 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 | +5.4% |
| 1896 | −4.6% |
| 1900 | −21.8% |
| 1904 | −19.0% |
| 1908 | −15.4% |
| 1912 | +23.6% |
| 1916 | −8.5% |
| 1920 | −20.9% |
| 1924 | −6.0% |
| 1928 | −9.9% |
| 1932 | +3.8% |
| 1936 | +6.5% |
| 1940 | −1.7% |
| 1944 | −10.3% |
| 1948 | −6.4% |
| 1952 | −11.4% |
| 1956 | −18.0% |
| 1960 | −18.7% |
| 1964 | +1.2% |
| 1968 | −23.4% |
| 1972 | −26.8% |
| 1976 | −0.4% |
| 1980 | −9.4% |
| 1984 | −28.9% |
| 1988 | −17.7% |
| 1992 | +1.9% |
| 1996 | −4.6% |
| 2000 | +13.2% |
| 2004 | −5.9% |
| 2008 | +4.3% |
| 2012 | −3.1% |
| 2016 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | +8.3% |
| 2024 | +6.0% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 17,225 | 15,254 | 33,095 | ||
| D | 17,122 | 14,451 | 32,220 | ||
| D | 14,138 | 13,697 | 29,985 | ||
| R | 13,002 | 13,861 | 27,674 | ||
| D | 14,558 | 13,344 | 28,372 | ||
| R | 11,232 | 12,659 | 24,050 | ||
| D | 10,438 | 7,959 | 18,723 | ||
| R | 7,349 | 8,146 | 17,222 | ||
| D | 8,262 | 7,899 | 19,225 | ||
| R | 6,048 | 8,662 | 14,785 | ||
| R | 5,163 | 9,370 | 14,579 | ||
| R | 5,022 | 6,149 | 11,958 | ||
| R | 5,358 | 5,400 | 10,817 | ||
| R | 3,451 | 6,017 | 9,573 | ||
| R | 2,952 | 5,081 | 9,093 | ||
| D | 4,031 | 3,932 | 7,963 | ||
| R | 3,440 | 5,020 | 8,460 | ||
| R | 3,223 | 4,636 | 7,859 | ||
| R | 3,600 | 4,527 | 8,127 | ||
| R | 3,379 | 3,851 | 7,400 | ||
| R | 3,214 | 3,954 | 7,168 | ||
| R | 3,615 | 3,739 | 7,354 | ||
| D | 3,880 | 3,409 | 7,289 | ||
| D | 3,419 | 3,166 | 6,606 | ||
| R | 2,591 | 3,159 | 5,750 | ||
| R | 2,365 | 2,665 | 5,038 | ||
| R | 1,721 | 2,631 | 4,352 | ||
| R | 1,141 | 1,352 | 2,493 | ||
| D | 933 | 420 | 2,174 | ||
| R | 962 | 1,313 | 2,275 | ||
| R | 773 | 1,143 | 1,947 | ||
| R | 923 | 1,439 | 2,364 | ||
| R | 1,063 | 1,166 | 2,240 | ||
| D | 940 | 839 | 1,884 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
20.2%
German
15.0%
Irish
13.9%
American
10.1%
Scottish
4.7%
Italian
4.4%
Polish
2.0%
African American
1.6%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
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: 31.4 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
$51,693
Watauga County ranks in the bottom 25% of US counties.
Watauga County$51,693
North Carolina$72,388
United States$80,734
Watauga County ranks in the bottom 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
25.5%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1813.4%
Working age (18–64)29.1%
Seniors (65+)8.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
94.1%
speak English only
Spanish4.0%
Other Indo-European1.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.5%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 57.0% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Home to Appalachian State University, Watauga sits deep in the Blue Ridge yet voted Democratic in 2024 by six points — a margin driven largely by student enrollment in a region where most surrounding counties lean heavily Republican.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached twenty-four points in 1912; the Republican margin reached twenty-nine points in 1984. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved two points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was six points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 90% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $51,693, and a 26% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Forsyth County and New Hanover 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.
Watauga County, North Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/37189/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in North Carolina
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Frequently asked questions
How did Watauga County, North Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Watauga County, North Carolina voted Democratic by 6.0 points (D+6), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 33,095 votes cast, 17,225 went Democratic and 15,254 went Republican.
What is Watauga County, North Carolina's political typology?
Akashic places Watauga 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 11 times, Republican 23 times, and other 0 times.
When did Watauga County, North Carolina last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Watauga County, North Carolina voted Republican was 2012.
How many people live in Watauga County, North Carolina?
Watauga County, North Carolina has a population of 55,123 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Watauga County, North Carolina?
Median household income in Watauga County, North Carolina is $51,693 — below the national median of $80,734. The North Carolina state median is $72,388.
What is the political history of Watauga County, North Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Watauga County, North Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 11 went Democratic and 23 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.