How did Topeka vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Topeka voted Republican in 2024 with a margin of R+19.6. Kamala D Harris received 79,516 votes and Donald Trump received 119,322 out of 203,026 total votes cast, a 2.7-point shift toward Republicans from 2020.

What is Topeka's political history?

Topeka has 40 presidential elections on record, spanning 1868 to 2024. It has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968. The largest single-election swing was 48.0 points in 1932.

What are the demographics of Topeka?

Topeka has a population of 1,827,558 according to the 2020 Census. The racial composition is 80.2% non-Hispanic white, 8.4% Hispanic, 5.7% Black. About 28% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median household income is $50,222.

Which places are most similar to Topeka?

Based on demographic and electoral similarity analysis, the three most similar media markets to Topeka are Columbia-Jefferson City, Lafayette, IN, Fargo-Valley City. Similarity is computed using a vector embedding of demographic, economic, and electoral characteristics.

Live · Media market

Topeka

Kansas's capital anchors a media market where statehouse coverage drives the news cycle

Centered on Shawnee County, the Topeka market blends state-government workers with surrounding rural counties, producing a electorate that has backed statewide candidates from both parties within the same cycle.

Presidential margin · 2024

Data unavailable for this race.

Race data unavailable

Geography

Race data unavailable

No current race for this office.

2024FIPS 605

Population1.8M

Median ageU.S. 38.9y

35.9y▼ 3.0

Bachelor's+U.S. 35%

28.0%▼ 7.0

White80.2%
Hispanic8.4%
Black5.7%
Two or more4.9%
Other2.5%
Asian1.5%
Native1.1%

Trajectory · 2008–2024

TopekaBaseline

Cycle2024

Open in Cartographer

Constituent Counties

Open in Cartographer

Similarity Explorer

Similar media markets

Reads like Columbia-Jefferson City, Lafayette, IN, and Fargo-Valley City.

8 visible matches

Columbia-Jefferson City

Small-town rural republican 3

Small-town rural republican 3

R+23.8

Similarity score83%

Mankato

Small-town rural republican 3

R+13.1

Similarity score82%

Idaho Fals-Pocatllo(Jcksn)

Rural Republican 2

R+41.4

Similarity score81%

Lincoln & Hastings-Kearney

Small-town rural republican 3

R+29.3

Similarity score81%

Champaign & Springfield-Decatur

Small-town rural republican 3

Constituent Geography

Counties in Topeka

2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.

Sort:

County	Pop.	Margin	Dem	Rep	Total	Share
Shawnee	179K	D+0.5	40,308	39,901	81,819	10.1%
Shawnee	178K	D+0.5	40,308	39,901	81,819	10.1%
Shawnee	174K	D+0.5	40,308	39,901	81,819	10.1%
Shawnee	170K	D+0.5	40,308	39,901	81,819	10.1%
Riley	75K	D+1.8	12,063	11,629	24,312	3.0%
Riley	72K	D+1.8	12,063	11,629	24,312	3.0%
Riley	70K	D+1.8	12,063	11,629	24,312	3.0%
Riley	63K	D+1.8	12,063	11,629	24,312	3.0%
Geary	37K	R+17.6	3,674	5,288	9,163	1.1%
Lyon	36K	R+14.7	5,515	7,462	13,256	1.6%
Geary	36K	R+17.6	3,674	5,288	9,163	1.1%
Lyon	35K	R+14.7	5,515	7,462	13,256	1.6%
Lyon	33K	R+14.7	5,515	7,462	13,256	1.6%
Lyon	32K	R+14.7	5,515	7,462	13,256	1.6%
Geary	30K	R+17.6	3,674	5,288	9,163	1.1%
Geary	28K	R+17.6	3,674	5,288	9,163	1.1%
Pottawatomie	26K	R+47.6	3,394	9,811	13,472	1.7%
Pottawatomie	23K	R+47.6	3,394	9,811	13,472	1.7%
Pottawatomie	19K	R+47.6	3,394	9,811	13,472	1.7%
Jefferson	19K	R+36.9	3,030	6,694	9,927	1.2%
Jefferson	18K	R+36.9	3,030	6,694	9,927	1.2%
Jefferson	18K	R+36.9	3,030	6,694	9,927	1.2%
Jefferson	18K	R+36.9	3,030	6,694	9,927	1.2%
Pottawatomie	18K	R+47.6	3,394	9,811	13,472	1.7%
Osage	17K	R+48.0	1,946	5,736	7,892	1.0%
Osage	16K	R+48.0	1,946	5,736	7,892	1.0%
Osage	16K	R+48.0	1,946	5,736	7,892	1.0%
Osage	16K	R+48.0	1,946	5,736	7,892	1.0%
Jackson	13K	R+42.6	1,799	4,557	6,474	0.8%
Jackson	13K	R+42.6	1,799	4,557	6,474	0.8%
Jackson	13K	R+42.6	1,799	4,557	6,474	0.8%
Jackson	13K	R+42.6	1,799	4,557	6,474	0.8%
Marshall	11K	R+49.1	1,205	3,644	4,968	0.6%
Brown	11K	R+47.9	1,065	3,106	4,258	0.5%
Nemaha	11K	R+67.0	888	4,655	5,620	0.7%
Cloud	10K	R+60.6	767	3,218	4,047	0.5%
Marshall	10K	R+49.1	1,205	3,644	4,968	0.6%
Nemaha	10K	R+67.0	888	4,655	5,620	0.7%
Nemaha	10K	R+67.0	888	4,655	5,620	0.7%
Nemaha	10K	R+67.0	888	4,655	5,620	0.7%
Brown	10K	R+47.9	1,065	3,106	4,258	0.5%
Marshall	10K	R+49.1	1,205	3,644	4,968	0.6%
Marshall	10K	R+49.1	1,205	3,644	4,968	0.6%
Brown	10K	R+47.9	1,065	3,106	4,258	0.5%
Cloud	9K	R+60.6	767	3,218	4,047	0.5%
Brown	9K	R+47.9	1,065	3,106	4,258	0.5%
Cloud	9K	R+60.6	767	3,218	4,047	0.5%
Cloud	9K	R+60.6	767	3,218	4,047	0.5%
Coffey	9K	R+55.7	934	3,371	4,377	0.5%
Clay	9K	R+55.5	867	3,150	4,113	0.5%
Clay	9K	R+55.5	867	3,150	4,113	0.5%
Coffey	8K	R+55.7	934	3,371	4,377	0.5%
Coffey	8K	R+55.7	934	3,371	4,377	0.5%
Clay	8K	R+55.5	867	3,150	4,113	0.5%
Coffey	8K	R+55.7	934	3,371	4,377	0.5%
Clay	8K	R+55.5	867	3,150	4,113	0.5%
Wabaunsee	7K	R+48.8	944	2,816	3,836	0.5%
Wabaunsee	7K	R+48.8	944	2,816	3,836	0.5%
Wabaunsee	7K	R+48.8	944	2,816	3,836	0.5%
Wabaunsee	7K	R+48.8	944	2,816	3,836	0.5%
Washington	6K	R+69.2	396	2,263	2,700	0.3%
Morris	6K	R+46.6	721	2,021	2,792	0.3%
Morris	6K	R+46.6	721	2,021	2,792	0.3%
Washington	6K	R+69.2	396	2,263	2,700	0.3%
Morris	6K	R+46.6	721	2,021	2,792	0.3%
Washington	6K	R+69.2	396	2,263	2,700	0.3%
Washington	6K	R+69.2	396	2,263	2,700	0.3%
Morris	5K	R+46.6	721	2,021	2,792	0.3%

68 countiesTotal votes: 812,104

Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Topeka's political evolution with the Historian

“How has the Topeka media market voted in presidential elections?”

Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.

TopekaCensus ACS 2024Ancestry detail available

Census race profile

Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.

Expand rows for ancestry detail

White (Non-Hispanic) 80.2%Hispanic 8.4%Black 5.7%Multiracial 3.0%Asian 1.5%Native American 1.1%

Group	Topeka	National
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)	80.2%	57.4%
▶Hispanic / Latino(18)	8.4%	19.3%
▶Black / African American(11)	5.7%	12.2%
Multiracial / Other	3.0%	4.0%
▶Asian(6)	1.5%	6.0%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(6)	1.1%	0.9%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(7)	0.2%	0.9%

Method notes

Census treats race and Hispanic/Latino origin as separate questions. Race categories other than Hispanic reflect total populations (small Hispanic overlap in Black, Asian, AIAN, NHPI). “Multiracial / Other” is derived as a non-overlapping remainder.

Click rows to expand ancestry detail. Ancestry from ACS B04006, B03001, B02020, B02016. Totals may differ from race — individuals can report multiple ancestries.

Black / African American (estimated remainder) is derived as Black population share minus reported Sub-Saharan African and West Indian ancestry. It is shown as an estimated ancestry detail, not a standalone Census ancestry category.

MENA estimated from ancestry reporting — Census does not have a separate MENA race category. Not shown in bar (overlaps with other race groups).

Religious Adherents

Population that are religious adherents:

43.5%(201.8K people)

U.S. Religion Census 2020

Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: -13.1pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.

Ecological pattern — how to read this

Reflects patterns in counties where this religious tradition concentrates — not a claim about individual voters.

Values are derived by joining Religion Census 2020 (U.S. Religion Data Archive) with certified election results at the county level. That means we know what counties with more or fewer of this group did — not how any individual voted.

This is known as ecological inference. It is a valid way to surface geographic correlation but must not be read as a personal-vote claim about anyone in the group.

Tradition	% Pop	% Adherents	US Pop	US Adherents
Evangelical Protestant	16.3%	37.5%	—	—
Catholic	12.6%	28.9%	—	—
Mainline Protestant	10.5%	24.0%	—	—
Other	2.4%	5.5%	—	—
Black Protestant	1.7%	3.9%	—	—
LDS (Mormon)	1.5%	3.3%	—	—
Non-religiousPopulation	56.5%	—	—	—

Click the chevron to expand denominations. Tradition and denomination rows label both share of total population and share of all religious adherents. Non-religious is shown as a share of total population only.

Explore Evangelical Protestant adherence nationally

Who lives in the Topeka media market? 1,827,558 residents across 68 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.

Export CSVPro

Topeka vs National1.8M residents

Population & electorate

Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.

Total population

Local vs state vs U.S.

1.8M

local

1.8MNational 334.9M

Share of U.S. population

Local vs state vs U.S.

0.55%

local

0.55%National 100%

Voting-age population

Local vs state vs U.S.

37.0%

local

37.0%National 75.7%

Economic profile

Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.

Median household income

Local vs state vs U.S.

$50,222

local

$50,222National $83,960

Poverty rate

Local vs state vs U.S.

13.6%

local

13.6%National 12.5%

College degree

Local vs state vs U.S.

28.0%

local

28.0%National 35.6%

Homeownership

Local vs state vs U.S.

65.5%

local

65.5%National 65.2%

Community profile

Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.

Median age

Local vs state vs U.S.

35.9 yrs

local

35.9 yrsNational 39.1 yrs

Age 18–29

Local vs state vs U.S.

15.3%

local

15.3%National 15.7%

Age 65+

Local vs state vs U.S.

11.5%

local

11.5%National 17.0%

Foreign born

Local vs state vs U.S.

4.2%

local

4.2%National 14.1%

Non-English at home

Local vs state vs U.S.

7.3%

local

7.3%National 22.2%

English only

Local vs state vs U.S.

92.7%

local

92.7%National 77.8%

Voter Turnout

Turnout in Topeka

Turnout % = votes cast ÷ citizen voting-age population (CVAP). Source: CVAP Special Tab 2020-2024.

2024 Turnout

58.7%

vs Previous

-1.2pp

Eligible Non-Voters

143K · 41.3%

Citizen VAP

345,693

History

1988–2024

Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Topeka split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.

ConsistencyHeavy splitting (0/100)

2022 Office Comparisons

Offices	Margin A	Margin B	Split
Senate vs Governor	R+30.2	D+4.1	34.4pp

Average divergence across office pairs: 32.9pp

Containing Geography

Located In

Topeka sits inside these higher-level geographies.

Kansas(State)

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