Centre County, Pennsylvania: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted D+3%. Republican peak: R+55 in 1928.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+3MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 158,5762024 5-year
- Median household income
- $74,2912024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 83.9%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.3%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.7%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+27 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+55 in 1928MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- DeKalb County, IL · similarity 0.96
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Centre CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Centre 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 | +10.7% |
| 1896 | −3.4% |
| 1900 | −3.7% |
| 1904 | −13.3% |
| 1908 | −10.0% |
| 1912 | +24.5% |
| 1916 | −3.1% |
| 1920 | −21.5% |
| 1924 | −25.1% |
| 1928 | −55.1% |
| 1932 | −7.7% |
| 1936 | +8.5% |
| 1940 | −3.9% |
| 1944 | −10.9% |
| 1948 | −23.0% |
| 1952 | −33.0% |
| 1956 | −34.6% |
| 1960 | −36.1% |
| 1964 | +27.0% |
| 1968 | −16.5% |
| 1972 | −21.9% |
| 1976 | −8.2% |
| 1980 | −10.8% |
| 1984 | −26.2% |
| 1988 | −13.0% |
| 1992 | +1.4% |
| 1996 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | −9.6% |
| 2004 | −3.7% |
| 2008 | +11.8% |
| 2012 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | +2.3% |
| 2020 | +4.8% |
| 2024 | +2.8% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 41,119 | 38,829 | 81,153 | ||
| D | 40,055 | 36,372 | 77,493 | ||
| D | 37,088 | 35,274 | 77,307 | ||
| D | 34,176 | 34,001 | 69,886 | ||
| D | 41,950 | 32,992 | 75,763 | ||
| R | 30,733 | 33,133 | 64,374 | ||
| R | 21,409 | 26,172 | 49,575 | ||
| D | 21,145 | 20,935 | 46,826 | ||
| D | 21,177 | 20,478 | 51,225 | ||
| R | 18,357 | 23,875 | 42,527 | ||
| R | 16,194 | 27,802 | 44,236 | ||
| R | 15,987 | 20,605 | 42,631 | ||
| R | 17,867 | 21,177 | 40,437 | ||
| R | 13,194 | 20,683 | 34,197 | ||
| R | 11,163 | 15,865 | 28,527 | ||
| D | 16,556 | 9,481 | 26,195 | ||
| R | 8,601 | 18,357 | 27,004 | ||
| R | 7,483 | 15,412 | 22,940 | ||
| R | 7,391 | 14,700 | 22,168 | ||
| R | 6,515 | 10,416 | 16,931 | ||
| R | 8,064 | 10,048 | 18,242 | ||
| R | 9,869 | 10,665 | 20,610 | ||
| D | 11,734 | 9,869 | 21,814 | ||
| R | 7,053 | 8,264 | 15,726 | ||
| R | 3,431 | 12,005 | 15,557 | ||
| R | 4,443 | 7,723 | 13,062 | ||
| R | 4,783 | 7,615 | 13,171 | ||
| R | 4,120 | 4,392 | 8,781 | ||
| D | 3,445 | 1,507 | 7,926 | ||
| R | 3,998 | 4,927 | 9,276 | ||
| R | 4,015 | 5,291 | 9,589 | ||
| R | 4,339 | 4,684 | 9,249 | ||
| R | 4,546 | 4,880 | 9,774 | ||
| D | 4,624 | 3,698 | 8,656 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
25.0%
Irish
14.1%
English
11.3%
Italian
9.1%
American
5.6%
Polish
4.9%
Scottish
2.3%
African American
2.6%
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: 34.2 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
$74,291
Centre County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Centre County$74,291
Pennsylvania$77,971
United States$80,734
Centre 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
16.3%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 189.9%
Working age (18–64)18.6%
Seniors (65+)7.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
87.6%
speak English only
Other Indo-European5.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander4.0%
Spanish2.3%
Other languages1.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 66.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Home to Penn State's main campus, Centre County has shifted from reliably Republican to narrowly competitive, with the student and faculty population in State College anchoring Democratic margins that the surrounding rural townships still work to offset.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached twenty-seven points in 1964; the Republican margin reached fifty-five points in 1928. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved two points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was three points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 84% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $74,291, and a 16% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of DeKalb County and Washoe 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.
Centre County, Pennsylvania. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/42027/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in Pennsylvania
More industrial catholic metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Centre County, Pennsylvania vote in 2024?
In 2024, Centre County, Pennsylvania voted Democratic by 2.8 points (D+3), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 81,153 votes cast, 41,119 went Democratic and 38,829 went Republican.
What is Centre County, Pennsylvania's political typology?
Akashic places Centre County, Pennsylvania 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 Centre County, Pennsylvania last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Centre County, Pennsylvania voted Republican was 2004.
How many people live in Centre County, Pennsylvania?
Centre County, Pennsylvania has a population of 158,576 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Centre County, Pennsylvania?
Median household income in Centre County, Pennsylvania is $74,291 — below the national median of $80,734. The Pennsylvania state median is $77,971.
What is the political history of Centre County, Pennsylvania?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Centre County, Pennsylvania 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.