McLennan County, Texas: Texan Right county. In 2024, voted R+31%. Democratic peak: D+83 in 1936.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+31MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Texan RightAkashic typology
- Population
- 266,0672024 5-year
- Median household income
- $66,6432024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 58.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 13.9%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 27.0%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+83 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+35 in 1972MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Tom Green County, TX · similarity 0.99
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of McLennan CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for McLennan 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 | No data |
| 1896 | No data |
| 1900 | No data |
| 1904 | No data |
| 1908 | No data |
| 1912 | +76.3% |
| 1916 | +66.7% |
| 1920 | +42.5% |
| 1924 | +51.3% |
| 1928 | −3.7% |
| 1932 | +82.4% |
| 1936 | +82.7% |
| 1940 | +75.8% |
| 1944 | +73.4% |
| 1948 | +64.2% |
| 1952 | +7.1% |
| 1956 | +1.9% |
| 1960 | +14.7% |
| 1964 | +44.6% |
| 1968 | +13.8% |
| 1972 | −35.2% |
| 1976 | +8.4% |
| 1980 | −9.5% |
| 1984 | −29.0% |
| 1988 | −16.7% |
| 1992 | −3.7% |
| 1996 | −5.7% |
| 2000 | −29.8% |
| 2004 | −32.0% |
| 2008 | −23.9% |
| 2012 | −29.8% |
| 2016 | −26.8% |
| 2020 | −23.4% |
| 2024 | −30.8% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 33,863 | 64,606 | 99,672 | ||
| R | 36,688 | 59,543 | 97,872 | ||
| R | 27,063 | 48,260 | 79,075 | ||
| R | 25,694 | 47,903 | 74,541 | ||
| R | 29,998 | 49,044 | 79,674 | ||
| R | 26,760 | 52,090 | 79,254 | ||
| R | 23,462 | 43,955 | 68,789 | ||
| R | 27,050 | 30,666 | 63,083 | ||
| R | 25,903 | 28,473 | 70,016 | ||
| R | 27,545 | 38,606 | 66,423 | ||
| R | 23,206 | 42,232 | 65,578 | ||
| R | 26,305 | 31,968 | 59,515 | ||
| D | 30,091 | 25,370 | 55,970 | ||
| R | 15,947 | 33,377 | 49,485 | ||
| D | 22,388 | 15,958 | 46,639 | ||
| D | 28,429 | 10,892 | 39,346 | ||
| D | 20,100 | 14,926 | 35,156 | ||
| D | 16,181 | 15,561 | 31,853 | ||
| D | 17,251 | 14,974 | 32,278 | ||
| D | 16,034 | 3,088 | 20,157 | ||
| D | 15,336 | 1,668 | 18,631 | ||
| D | 15,952 | 2,178 | 18,165 | ||
| D | 12,489 | 1,116 | 13,759 | ||
| D | 11,972 | 1,108 | 13,185 | ||
| R | 5,330 | 5,744 | 11,087 | ||
| D | 7,882 | 2,384 | 10,721 | ||
| D | 4,975 | 1,655 | 7,809 | ||
| D | 4,979 | 940 | 6,053 | ||
| D | 3,829 | 295 | 4,631 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
12.6%
English
10.1%
Irish
8.6%
American
3.9%
Italian
1.9%
French
1.6%
Scottish
1.6%
African American
11.1%
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: 34.0 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
$66,643
McLennan County ranks near the middle of US counties.
McLennan County$66,643
Texas$78,476
United States$80,734
McLennan 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
16.6%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1820.8%
Working age (18–64)15.5%
Seniors (65+)11.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
80.4%
speak English only
Spanish17.1%
Other Indo-European1.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.1%
Other languages0.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 42.6% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
McLennan County anchors the mid-Brazos corridor around Waco, where a large Hispanic population and a major research university coexist with a rural conservative base that produced a 30-point Republican margin in 2024.
The Republican margin here reached thirty-five points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved seven points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was thirty-one points.
A population of 266,067, a 59% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $66,643 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Tom Green County and Columbia County. A non-English-speaking share of 20% 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.
McLennan County, Texas. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/48309/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More texan right counties
Frequently asked questions
How did McLennan County, Texas vote in 2024?
In 2024, McLennan County, Texas voted Republican by 30.8 points (R+31), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 99,672 votes cast, 33,863 went Democratic and 64,606 went Republican.
What is McLennan County, Texas's political typology?
Akashic places McLennan County, Texas 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 15 times, Republican 14 times, and other 0 times.
When did McLennan County, Texas last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which McLennan County, Texas voted Democratic was 1976.
How many people live in McLennan County, Texas?
McLennan County, Texas has a population of 266,067 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in McLennan County, Texas?
Median household income in McLennan County, Texas is $66,643 — below the national median of $80,734. The Texas state median is $78,476.
What is the political history of McLennan County, Texas?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in McLennan County, Texas from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 15 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.