Wayne County, North Carolina: Texan Right county. In 2024, voted R+16%. Democratic peak: D+63 in 1940.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+16MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Texan RightAkashic typology
- Population
- 118,6522024 5-year
- Median household income
- $59,7332024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 51.4%2024 5-year
- Black
- 29.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 13.7%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+63 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+46 in 1972MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Alamance County, NC · similarity 0.97
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Wayne CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Wayne 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 | +12.8% |
| 1896 | +17.6% |
| 1900 | +22.3% |
| 1904 | +27.6% |
| 1908 | +18.9% |
| 1912 | +62.7% |
| 1916 | +28.9% |
| 1920 | +25.9% |
| 1924 | +41.5% |
| 1928 | −7.7% |
| 1932 | +58.8% |
| 1936 | +60.4% |
| 1940 | +62.8% |
| 1944 | +53.0% |
| 1948 | +53.3% |
| 1952 | +21.9% |
| 1956 | +23.1% |
| 1960 | +17.9% |
| 1964 | +12.9% |
| 1968 | −1.7% |
| 1972 | −46.0% |
| 1976 | −1.8% |
| 1980 | −14.3% |
| 1984 | −28.4% |
| 1988 | −25.2% |
| 1992 | −14.9% |
| 1996 | −17.0% |
| 2000 | +22.9% |
| 2004 | −24.5% |
| 2008 | −8.6% |
| 2012 | −8.4% |
| 2016 | −11.4% |
| 2020 | −11.7% |
| 2024 | −16.4% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 22,618 | 31,580 | 54,762 | ||
| R | 24,215 | 30,709 | 55,537 | ||
| R | 21,770 | 27,540 | 50,689 | ||
| R | 23,314 | 27,641 | 51,352 | ||
| R | 22,671 | 26,952 | 49,882 | ||
| R | 15,076 | 24,883 | 40,046 | ||
| D | 20,758 | 13,005 | 33,884 | ||
| R | 11,580 | 16,588 | 29,390 | ||
| R | 10,307 | 14,397 | 27,532 | ||
| R | 9,135 | 15,292 | 24,474 | ||
| R | 10,011 | 17,961 | 28,008 | ||
| R | 9,586 | 12,860 | 22,836 | ||
| R | 9,265 | 9,607 | 18,993 | ||
| R | 5,234 | 14,352 | 19,842 | ||
| O | 5,338 | 5,678 | 19,725 | ||
| D | 9,791 | 7,555 | 17,346 | ||
| D | 7,856 | 5,474 | 13,330 | ||
| D | 6,756 | 4,220 | 10,976 | ||
| D | 7,281 | 4,662 | 11,943 | ||
| D | 6,111 | 1,658 | 8,348 | ||
| D | 6,228 | 1,914 | 8,142 | ||
| D | 7,222 | 1,649 | 8,871 | ||
| D | 7,087 | 1,751 | 8,838 | ||
| D | 6,365 | 1,631 | 8,056 | ||
| R | 3,720 | 4,340 | 8,060 | ||
| D | 3,366 | 1,379 | 4,787 | ||
| D | 4,794 | 2,822 | 7,616 | ||
| D | 2,625 | 1,446 | 4,076 | ||
| D | 2,293 | 95 | 3,503 | ||
| D | 2,207 | 1,504 | 3,722 | ||
| D | 2,060 | 1,162 | 3,256 | ||
| D | 3,104 | 1,965 | 5,106 | ||
| D | 3,215 | 2,248 | 5,490 | ||
| D | 2,261 | 1,645 | 4,795 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
16.2%
English
10.6%
Irish
7.8%
German
6.7%
Italian
1.8%
Scottish
1.6%
French
1.2%
African American
23.8%
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: 37.3 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
$59,733
Wayne County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Wayne County$59,733
North Carolina$72,388
United States$80,734
Wayne 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
17.3%
Children face higher poverty than working-age adults.
Children under 1826.1%
Working age (18–64)15.0%
Seniors (65+)10.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
85.2%
speak English only
Spanish12.2%
Other Indo-European1.6%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.8%
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 51.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Wayne County's electorate has shifted steadily rightward over the past two decades, with the 2024 presidential margin reaching R+16.4. Goldsboro's military presence at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base adds a distinct demographic layer to the county's rural, agriculture-rooted base.
The Republican margin here reached forty-six points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved five points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was sixteen points.
A population of 118,652, a 51% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $59,733 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Alamance County and Gaston County. A non-English-speaking share of 15% reflects a meaningful Latino presence that votes, here, with the Republican grain.
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.
Wayne County, North Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/37191/. 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 Wayne County, North Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Wayne County, North Carolina voted Republican by 16.4 points (R+16), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 54,762 votes cast, 22,618 went Democratic and 31,580 went Republican.
What is Wayne County, North Carolina's political typology?
Akashic places Wayne County, North Carolina in the "Texan Right" typology — East Texas and the Piney Woods — solidly Republican, with a meaningful Latino presence. 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 19 times, Republican 14 times, and other 1 times.
When did Wayne County, North Carolina last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Wayne County, North Carolina voted Democratic was 2000.
How many people live in Wayne County, North Carolina?
Wayne County, North Carolina has a population of 118,652 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Wayne County, North Carolina?
Median household income in Wayne County, North Carolina is $59,733 — below the national median of $80,734. The North Carolina state median is $72,388.
What is the political history of Wayne County, North Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Wayne County, North Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 19 went Democratic and 14 went Republican. The county's typology — "Texan Right" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.