Portsmouth city, Virginia: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted D+39%. Democratic peak: D+76 in 1940.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+39MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 97,1902024 5-year
- Median household income
- $60,4912024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 36.2%2024 5-year
- Black
- 50.6%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 5.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+76 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+20 in 1972MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Norfolk city, VA · similarity 1.00
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Portsmouth cityPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Portsmouth city, 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 | +24.0% |
| 1896 | +27.7% |
| 1900 | +50.5% |
| 1904 | +63.3% |
| 1908 | +47.6% |
| 1912 | +75.7% |
| 1916 | +54.8% |
| 1920 | +49.8% |
| 1924 | +46.9% |
| 1928 | −14.6% |
| 1932 | +28.4% |
| 1936 | +73.1% |
| 1940 | +76.1% |
| 1944 | +67.0% |
| 1948 | +34.6% |
| 1952 | +26.0% |
| 1956 | +2.6% |
| 1960 | +16.7% |
| 1964 | +31.2% |
| 1968 | +16.9% |
| 1972 | −20.3% |
| 1976 | +27.5% |
| 1980 | +20.1% |
| 1984 | +6.6% |
| 1988 | +10.0% |
| 1992 | +20.9% |
| 1996 | +32.4% |
| 2000 | +27.2% |
| 2004 | +22.5% |
| 2008 | +39.3% |
| 2012 | +42.8% |
| 2016 | +36.3% |
| 2020 | +40.8% |
| 2024 | +38.5% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 28,306 | 12,370 | 41,353 | ||
| D | 30,948 | 12,755 | 44,582 | ||
| D | 28,497 | 12,795 | 43,261 | ||
| D | 32,501 | 12,858 | 45,922 | ||
| D | 32,327 | 13,984 | 46,665 | ||
| D | 24,112 | 15,212 | 39,534 | ||
| D | 22,286 | 12,628 | 35,455 | ||
| D | 22,150 | 10,686 | 35,409 | ||
| D | 20,416 | 12,575 | 37,599 | ||
| D | 19,698 | 16,087 | 36,059 | ||
| D | 21,623 | 18,940 | 40,801 | ||
| D | 20,900 | 13,660 | 35,949 | ||
| D | 22,837 | 12,872 | 36,246 | ||
| R | 13,124 | 20,090 | 34,350 | ||
| D | 15,734 | 9,402 | 37,381 | ||
| D | 16,073 | 8,420 | 24,544 | ||
| D | 15,003 | 10,669 | 25,916 | ||
| D | 5,683 | 5,390 | 11,436 | ||
| D | 6,188 | 3,621 | 9,855 | ||
| D | 4,612 | 2,056 | 7,381 | ||
| D | 5,735 | 1,129 | 6,877 | ||
| D | 5,053 | 675 | 5,753 | ||
| D | 5,617 | 861 | 6,509 | ||
| D | 3,344 | 1,840 | 5,294 | ||
| R | 2,587 | 3,474 | 6,061 | ||
| D | 2,206 | 604 | 3,413 | ||
| D | 3,228 | 1,061 | 4,348 | ||
| D | 1,368 | 376 | 1,811 | ||
| D | 1,529 | 64 | 1,935 | ||
| D | 1,154 | 407 | 1,570 | ||
| D | 1,151 | 247 | 1,427 | ||
| D | 1,743 | 566 | 2,332 | ||
| D | 1,380 | 769 | 2,204 | ||
| D | 1,728 | 1,052 | 2,812 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
7.9%
American
6.6%
German
5.2%
Irish
4.9%
Italian
2.3%
Scottish
1.2%
Polish
0.8%
African American
40.5%
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: 35.9 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
$60,491
Portsmouth city ranks near the middle of US counties.
Portsmouth city$60,491
Virginia$93,170
United States$80,734
Portsmouth city 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 moderate poverty.
Children under 1824.9%
Working age (18–64)15.0%
Seniors (65+)15.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
94.7%
speak English only
Spanish2.9%
Other Indo-European0.9%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.9%
Other languages0.5%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 48.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Portsmouth's electorate, shaped by a majority-Black population and a significant military and shipyard workforce, has delivered double-digit Democratic margins in every recent presidential cycle, with the 2024 gap widening past 38 points.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached seventy-six points in 1940; the Republican margin reached twenty points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved two points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was thirty-nine points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 36% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $60,491, and a 17% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Norfolk city and Sharkey 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.
Portsmouth city, Virginia. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/51740/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in Virginia
More industrial catholic metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Portsmouth city, Virginia vote in 2024?
In 2024, Portsmouth city, Virginia voted Democratic by 38.5 points (D+39), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 41,353 votes cast, 28,306 went Democratic and 12,370 went Republican.
What is Portsmouth city, Virginia's political typology?
Akashic places Portsmouth city, Virginia 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 32 times, Republican 2 times, and other 0 times.
When did Portsmouth city, Virginia last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Portsmouth city, Virginia voted Republican was 1972.
How many people live in Portsmouth city, Virginia?
Portsmouth city, Virginia has a population of 97,190 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Portsmouth city, Virginia?
Median household income in Portsmouth city, Virginia is $60,491 — below the national median of $80,734. The Virginia state median is $93,170.
What is the political history of Portsmouth city, Virginia?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Portsmouth city, Virginia from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 32 went Democratic and 2 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.