Richland County, South Carolina: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted D+35%. Democratic peak: D+98 in 1936.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+35MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 422,1172024 5-year
- Median household income
- $63,7842024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 40.4%2024 5-year
- Black
- 47.4%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 6.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+98 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+29 in 1972MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Dougherty County, GA · similarity 1.00
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Richland CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Richland 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 | +68.7% |
| 1896 | +32.1% |
| 1900 | +75.5% |
| 1904 | +81.8% |
| 1908 | +75.4% |
| 1912 | +88.2% |
| 1916 | +76.4% |
| 1920 | +78.4% |
| 1924 | +90.1% |
| 1928 | +75.3% |
| 1932 | +97.1% |
| 1936 | +97.8% |
| 1940 | +93.2% |
| 1944 | +91.1% |
| 1948 | +19.0% |
| 1952 | −28.3% |
| 1956 | −2.5% |
| 1960 | −27.9% |
| 1964 | −20.7% |
| 1968 | −15.6% |
| 1972 | −29.5% |
| 1976 | +5.9% |
| 1980 | −4.4% |
| 1984 | −17.9% |
| 1988 | −8.9% |
| 1992 | +9.3% |
| 1996 | +13.8% |
| 2000 | +11.2% |
| 2004 | +15.0% |
| 2008 | +28.9% |
| 2012 | +32.0% |
| 2016 | +32.9% |
| 2020 | +38.3% |
| 2024 | +34.6% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 121,110 | 58,019 | 182,411 | ||
| D | 132,570 | 58,313 | 193,822 | ||
| D | 108,000 | 52,469 | 168,722 | ||
| D | 103,989 | 53,105 | 159,154 | ||
| D | 105,656 | 57,941 | 165,037 | ||
| D | 76,283 | 56,212 | 133,801 | ||
| D | 63,179 | 50,164 | 116,481 | ||
| D | 52,222 | 39,092 | 95,230 | ||
| D | 53,648 | 43,744 | 106,250 | ||
| R | 36,420 | 43,841 | 83,123 | ||
| R | 32,212 | 46,773 | 81,429 | ||
| R | 33,158 | 36,337 | 72,869 | ||
| D | 36,855 | 32,727 | 69,962 | ||
| R | 21,462 | 39,746 | 61,995 | ||
| R | 18,198 | 26,215 | 51,445 | ||
| R | 17,939 | 27,306 | 45,245 | ||
| R | 11,694 | 20,736 | 32,430 | ||
| O | 6,154 | 6,714 | 22,384 | ||
| R | 8,890 | 15,925 | 24,815 | ||
| O | 2,419 | 670 | 9,193 | ||
| D | 6,590 | 140 | 7,077 | ||
| D | 4,781 | 167 | 4,948 | ||
| D | 6,728 | 0 | 6,880 | ||
| D | 4,371 | 0 | 4,500 | ||
| D | 3,158 | 444 | 3,602 | ||
| D | 2,369 | 88 | 2,531 | ||
| D | 2,434 | 295 | 2,729 | ||
| D | 2,283 | 292 | 2,607 | ||
| D | 1,557 | 0 | 1,766 | ||
| D | 1,750 | 236 | 2,007 | ||
| D | 1,220 | 122 | 1,342 | ||
| D | 445 | 62 | 507 | ||
| D | 925 | 468 | 1,422 | ||
| D | 788 | 146 | 934 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
7.9%
German
7.4%
Irish
5.8%
American
4.4%
Italian
2.6%
Scottish
1.7%
French
1.4%
African American
37.9%
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: 34.4 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
$63,784
Richland County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Richland County$63,784
South Carolina$69,324
United States$80,734
Richland 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
17.2%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1822.5%
Working age (18–64)16.0%
Seniors (65+)11.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
91.3%
speak English only
Spanish4.3%
Other Indo-European1.9%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.8%
Other languages0.7%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 43.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Richland County, seat of the state capital and the University of South Carolina, delivered one of the state's widest presidential margins in 2024, reflecting a heavily urban and college-educated electorate concentrated in Columbia.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached ninety-eight points in 1936; the Republican margin reached twenty-nine points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved four points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was thirty-five points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 40% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $63,784, and a 17% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Dougherty County and Richmond 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.
Richland County, South Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/45079/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in South Carolina
More industrial catholic metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Richland County, South Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Richland County, South Carolina voted Democratic by 34.6 points (D+35), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 182,411 votes cast, 121,110 went Democratic and 58,019 went Republican.
What is Richland County, South Carolina's political typology?
Akashic places Richland County, South 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 24 times, Republican 8 times, and other 2 times.
When did Richland County, South Carolina last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Richland County, South Carolina voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in Richland County, South Carolina?
Richland County, South Carolina has a population of 422,117 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Richland County, South Carolina?
Median household income in Richland County, South Carolina is $63,784 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of Richland County, South Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Richland County, South Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 24 went Democratic and 8 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.