Washington County, Rhode Island: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted D+15%. Republican peak: R+57 in 1896.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+15MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 130,3442024 5-year
- Median household income
- $106,6382024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 89.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 1.3%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.8%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+41 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+57 in 1896MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Capitol Planning Region, CT · similarity 0.99
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Washington CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Washington 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 | −16.5% |
| 1896 | −56.6% |
| 1900 | −40.0% |
| 1904 | −44.1% |
| 1908 | −38.5% |
| 1912 | −9.2% |
| 1916 | −11.9% |
| 1920 | −51.4% |
| 1924 | −53.1% |
| 1928 | −37.9% |
| 1932 | −18.1% |
| 1936 | −18.7% |
| 1940 | −21.2% |
| 1944 | −12.4% |
| 1948 | −12.6% |
| 1952 | −22.6% |
| 1956 | −31.4% |
| 1960 | −4.4% |
| 1964 | +40.7% |
| 1968 | +8.2% |
| 1972 | −17.1% |
| 1976 | +0.3% |
| 1980 | −1.2% |
| 1984 | −15.5% |
| 1988 | +3.5% |
| 1992 | +12.8% |
| 1996 | +19.4% |
| 2000 | +14.8% |
| 2004 | +13.0% |
| 2008 | +20.3% |
| 2012 | +16.7% |
| 2016 | +9.8% |
| 2020 | +19.4% |
| 2024 | +14.9% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 42,582 | 31,245 | 76,027 | ||
| D | 44,549 | 29,818 | 76,060 | ||
| D | 33,741 | 27,230 | 66,369 | ||
| D | 35,888 | 25,366 | 62,879 | ||
| D | 39,082 | 25,624 | 66,160 | ||
| D | 34,679 | 26,533 | 62,634 | ||
| D | 29,560 | 21,253 | 56,224 | ||
| D | 25,958 | 16,302 | 49,832 | ||
| D | 23,009 | 16,211 | 52,944 | ||
| D | 23,210 | 21,650 | 45,062 | ||
| R | 17,793 | 24,365 | 42,305 | ||
| R | 16,429 | 16,932 | 40,827 | ||
| D | 17,980 | 17,856 | 36,022 | ||
| R | 13,637 | 19,280 | 32,979 | ||
| D | 13,851 | 11,639 | 26,818 | ||
| D | 17,434 | 7,342 | 24,776 | ||
| R | 11,580 | 12,651 | 24,231 | ||
| R | 7,450 | 14,278 | 21,728 | ||
| R | 8,448 | 13,389 | 21,846 | ||
| R | 7,379 | 9,522 | 17,041 | ||
| R | 6,419 | 8,233 | 14,670 | ||
| R | 6,001 | 9,233 | 15,251 | ||
| R | 5,956 | 8,764 | 15,056 | ||
| R | 5,047 | 7,307 | 12,507 | ||
| R | 3,500 | 7,793 | 11,320 | ||
| R | 2,366 | 8,038 | 10,687 | ||
| R | 2,012 | 6,420 | 8,568 | ||
| R | 2,224 | 2,837 | 5,142 | ||
| R | 1,691 | 2,129 | 4,741 | ||
| R | 1,278 | 3,043 | 4,579 | ||
| R | 1,197 | 3,189 | 4,515 | ||
| R | 960 | 2,421 | 3,649 | ||
| R | 654 | 3,040 | 4,219 | ||
| R | 1,501 | 2,183 | 4,132 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
Irish
23.6%
Italian
19.7%
English
18.6%
German
8.2%
French
7.0%
American
5.1%
Polish
3.8%
African American
1.0%
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: 45.5 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
$106,638
Washington County ranks in the top 5% of US counties.
Washington County$106,638
Rhode Island$87,796
United States$80,734
Washington County ranks in the top 5% 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
8.2%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 186.1%
Working age (18–64)8.7%
Seniors (65+)7.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
93.8%
speak English only
Other Indo-European2.7%
Spanish1.8%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.4%
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 51.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Washington County covers Rhode Island's southern coastline, where a mix of beach tourism, agriculture, and university influence around South Kingstown produces Democratic margins that have held steady across recent cycles despite the county's largely rural character.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached forty-one points in 1964; the Republican margin reached fifty-seven points in 1896. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved four points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was fifteen points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 90% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $106,638, and a 8% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Capitol Planning Region and Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region.
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.
Washington County, Rhode Island. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/44009/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in Rhode Island
More industrial catholic metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Washington County, Rhode Island vote in 2024?
In 2024, Washington County, Rhode Island voted Democratic by 14.9 points (D+15), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 76,027 votes cast, 42,582 went Democratic and 31,245 went Republican.
What is Washington County, Rhode Island's political typology?
Akashic places Washington County, Rhode Island 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 13 times, Republican 21 times, and other 0 times.
When did Washington County, Rhode Island last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Washington County, Rhode Island voted Republican was 1984.
How many people live in Washington County, Rhode Island?
Washington County, Rhode Island has a population of 130,344 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Washington County, Rhode Island?
Median household income in Washington County, Rhode Island is $106,638 — above the national median of $80,734. The Rhode Island state median is $87,796.
What is the political history of Washington County, Rhode Island?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Washington County, Rhode Island from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 13 went Democratic and 21 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.