Roanoke city, Virginia: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted D+24%. Democratic peak: D+60 in 1912.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+24MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 98,3552024 5-year
- Median household income
- $55,3782024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 56.8%2024 5-year
- Black
- 27.9%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 9.0%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+60 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+41 in 1956MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Sharkey County, MS · similarity 0.99
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Roanoke cityPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Roanoke 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 | +17.9% |
| 1896 | +8.1% |
| 1900 | +21.5% |
| 1904 | +41.9% |
| 1908 | +40.6% |
| 1912 | +60.0% |
| 1916 | +55.5% |
| 1920 | +33.4% |
| 1924 | +33.9% |
| 1928 | −23.4% |
| 1932 | +31.7% |
| 1936 | +35.5% |
| 1940 | +32.1% |
| 1944 | +17.9% |
| 1948 | −9.1% |
| 1952 | −32.1% |
| 1956 | −41.3% |
| 1960 | −24.8% |
| 1964 | +7.5% |
| 1968 | −20.3% |
| 1972 | −31.5% |
| 1976 | +16.6% |
| 1980 | +8.5% |
| 1984 | −4.7% |
| 1988 | +5.5% |
| 1992 | +12.2% |
| 1996 | +15.6% |
| 2000 | +9.8% |
| 2004 | +6.1% |
| 2008 | +23.4% |
| 2012 | +22.8% |
| 2016 | +19.0% |
| 2020 | +25.8% |
| 2024 | +23.5% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 25,737 | 15,787 | 42,314 | ||
| D | 26,773 | 15,607 | 43,323 | ||
| D | 22,286 | 14,789 | 39,466 | ||
| D | 24,134 | 14,991 | 40,155 | ||
| D | 24,934 | 15,394 | 40,772 | ||
| D | 18,862 | 16,661 | 36,000 | ||
| D | 17,920 | 14,630 | 33,442 | ||
| D | 17,282 | 12,283 | 32,016 | ||
| D | 17,724 | 13,443 | 35,181 | ||
| D | 17,185 | 15,389 | 32,813 | ||
| R | 17,300 | 19,008 | 36,492 | ||
| D | 18,139 | 15,164 | 34,946 | ||
| D | 20,696 | 14,738 | 35,949 | ||
| R | 9,498 | 18,541 | 28,671 | ||
| R | 9,281 | 15,368 | 30,008 | ||
| D | 15,314 | 13,164 | 28,496 | ||
| R | 9,175 | 15,229 | 24,453 | ||
| R | 6,751 | 16,708 | 24,082 | ||
| R | 8,042 | 15,673 | 23,747 | ||
| R | 5,343 | 6,542 | 13,200 | ||
| D | 7,322 | 5,095 | 12,451 | ||
| D | 6,942 | 3,553 | 10,542 | ||
| D | 7,087 | 3,363 | 10,504 | ||
| D | 6,215 | 3,195 | 9,540 | ||
| R | 4,018 | 6,471 | 10,489 | ||
| D | 3,930 | 1,747 | 6,435 | ||
| D | 4,715 | 2,329 | 7,144 | ||
| D | 2,246 | 610 | 2,950 | ||
| D | 1,913 | 268 | 2,743 | ||
| D | 1,408 | 593 | 2,006 | ||
| D | 1,268 | 506 | 1,819 | ||
| D | 1,761 | 1,120 | 2,986 | ||
| D | 2,005 | 1,697 | 3,793 | ||
| D | 2,707 | 1,870 | 4,683 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
11.7%
Irish
8.4%
American
8.3%
German
8.0%
Italian
2.3%
Scottish
2.2%
Polish
1.1%
African American
22.3%
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: 38.3 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
$55,378
Roanoke city ranks in the bottom 25% of US counties.
Roanoke city$55,378
Virginia$93,170
United States$80,734
Roanoke city ranks in the bottom 25% 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
18.3%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1824.6%
Working age (18–64)16.6%
Seniors (65+)15.0%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
89.1%
speak English only
Spanish6.5%
Other Indo-European2.6%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.2%
Other languages0.6%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 30.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Roanoke City has shifted steadily toward Democratic margins over the past decade, with its 2024 presidential gap of D+23.6 reflecting the broader urban consolidation pattern seen across mid-sized Virginia cities anchored by healthcare and rail employment.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached sixty points in 1912; the Republican margin reached forty-one points in 1956. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved two points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was twenty-four points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 57% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $55,378, and a 18% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Sharkey County and Norfolk city.
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.
Roanoke city, Virginia. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/51770/. 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 Roanoke city, Virginia vote in 2024?
In 2024, Roanoke city, Virginia voted Democratic by 23.5 points (D+24), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 42,314 votes cast, 25,737 went Democratic and 15,787 went Republican.
What is Roanoke city, Virginia's political typology?
Akashic places Roanoke 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 26 times, Republican 8 times, and other 0 times.
When did Roanoke city, Virginia last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Roanoke city, Virginia voted Republican was 1984.
How many people live in Roanoke city, Virginia?
Roanoke city, Virginia has a population of 98,355 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Roanoke city, Virginia?
Median household income in Roanoke city, Virginia is $55,378 — below the national median of $80,734. The Virginia state median is $93,170.
What is the political history of Roanoke city, Virginia?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Roanoke city, Virginia from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 26 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.