Kanawha County, West Virginia: Stable Rural Right county. In 2024, voted R+17%. Democratic peak: D+30 in 1964.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+17MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Stable Rural RightAkashic typology
- Population
- 176,5372024 5-year
- Median household income
- $60,9432024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 86.4%2024 5-year
- Black
- 4.9%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 1.6%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+30 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+26 in 1972MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Norton city, VA · similarity 0.98
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Kanawha CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Kanawha 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 | −5.3% |
| 1896 | −17.9% |
| 1900 | +20.9% |
| 1904 | −20.5% |
| 1908 | −14.3% |
| 1912 | +27.3% |
| 1916 | +0.9% |
| 1920 | −10.3% |
| 1924 | −6.2% |
| 1928 | −16.6% |
| 1932 | +4.2% |
| 1936 | +17.9% |
| 1940 | +18.2% |
| 1944 | +13.0% |
| 1948 | +12.7% |
| 1952 | −2.1% |
| 1956 | −7.6% |
| 1960 | −2.4% |
| 1964 | +29.5% |
| 1968 | +4.9% |
| 1972 | −26.2% |
| 1976 | +11.9% |
| 1980 | +0.2% |
| 1984 | −15.3% |
| 1988 | +3.8% |
| 1992 | +8.5% |
| 1996 | +14.4% |
| 2000 | +2.2% |
| 2004 | −1.6% |
| 2008 | −0.4% |
| 2012 | −11.8% |
| 2016 | −20.3% |
| 2020 | −14.7% |
| 2024 | −17.4% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 30,231 | 43,352 | 75,239 | ||
| R | 34,344 | 46,398 | 82,250 | ||
| R | 28,263 | 43,850 | 76,888 | ||
| R | 32,480 | 41,364 | 75,312 | ||
| R | 40,594 | 40,952 | 82,480 | ||
| R | 43,010 | 44,430 | 87,928 | ||
| D | 38,524 | 36,809 | 76,670 | ||
| D | 40,357 | 29,311 | 76,495 | ||
| D | 38,315 | 31,358 | 81,674 | ||
| D | 41,144 | 38,140 | 79,542 | ||
| R | 37,832 | 51,499 | 89,542 | ||
| D | 42,829 | 42,604 | 91,760 | ||
| D | 53,602 | 42,213 | 95,815 | ||
| R | 38,032 | 65,021 | 103,053 | ||
| D | 46,650 | 41,712 | 99,886 | ||
| D | 70,511 | 38,383 | 108,894 | ||
| R | 54,484 | 57,130 | 111,614 | ||
| R | 50,289 | 58,597 | 108,886 | ||
| R | 54,540 | 56,861 | 111,401 | ||
| D | 53,213 | 41,144 | 94,695 | ||
| D | 47,400 | 36,488 | 83,888 | ||
| D | 57,932 | 40,113 | 98,045 | ||
| D | 50,801 | 35,387 | 86,301 | ||
| D | 38,617 | 35,455 | 74,821 | ||
| R | 25,563 | 35,788 | 61,535 | ||
| R | 22,726 | 26,018 | 52,951 | ||
| R | 19,284 | 23,781 | 43,769 | ||
| D | 10,276 | 10,096 | 20,970 | ||
| O | 6,658 | 1,780 | 17,869 | ||
| R | 7,117 | 9,663 | 17,754 | ||
| R | 5,756 | 8,857 | 15,108 | ||
| D | 7,249 | 4,736 | 12,048 | ||
| R | 4,824 | 6,948 | 11,847 | ||
| R | 4,549 | 5,078 | 9,923 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
17.1%
Irish
11.6%
German
10.8%
American
8.4%
Italian
2.9%
Scottish
2.4%
Polish
1.1%
African American
3.9%
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: 43.8 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
$60,943
Kanawha County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Kanawha County$60,943
West Virginia$59,608
United States$80,734
Kanawha 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
15.7%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1820.6%
Working age (18–64)15.0%
Seniors (65+)11.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
97.7%
speak English only
Other Indo-European1.0%
Spanish0.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.3%
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 59.2% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Once a Democratic stronghold anchored by organized labor and the state capital, Kanawha County has shifted decisively rightward over two decades, mirroring West Virginia's broader realignment while remaining the state's most populous county.
The Republican margin here reached twenty-six points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was seventeen points.
A population of 176,537, a 86% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $60,943 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Norton city and Lincoln 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.
Kanawha County, West Virginia. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/54039/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in West Virginia
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Frequently asked questions
How did Kanawha County, West Virginia vote in 2024?
In 2024, Kanawha County, West Virginia voted Republican by 17.4 points (R+17), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 75,239 votes cast, 30,231 went Democratic and 43,352 went Republican.
What is Kanawha County, West Virginia's political typology?
Akashic places Kanawha County, West Virginia in the "Stable Rural Right" typology — Mountain, Plains, and rural Republican counties already near their ceiling, with little further room to swing. 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 18 times, and other 1 times.
When did Kanawha County, West Virginia last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Kanawha County, West Virginia voted Democratic was 2000.
How many people live in Kanawha County, West Virginia?
Kanawha County, West Virginia has a population of 176,537 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Kanawha County, West Virginia?
Median household income in Kanawha County, West Virginia is $60,943 — below the national median of $80,734. The West Virginia state median is $59,608.
What is the political history of Kanawha County, West Virginia?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Kanawha County, West Virginia from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 15 went Democratic and 18 went Republican. The county's typology — "Stable Rural Right" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.