How did Columbia, SC vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Columbia, SC voted Democratic in 2024 with a margin of D+0.2. Kamala D Harris received 192,821 votes and Donald Trump received 191,991 out of 390,990 total votes cast, a 5.3-point shift toward Republicans from 2020.

What is Columbia, SC's political history?

Columbia, SC has 40 presidential elections on record, spanning 1868 to 2024. It has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 2008. The largest single-election swing was 75.3 points in 1948.

What are the demographics of Columbia, SC?

Columbia, SC has a population of 3,015,741 according to the 2020 Census. The racial composition is 57.8% non-Hispanic white, 4.8% Hispanic, 33.2% Black. About 31% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median household income is $53,300.

Which places are most similar to Columbia, SC?

Based on demographic and electoral similarity analysis, the three most similar metro areas to Columbia, SC are Jackson, MS, Montgomery, AL, Baton Rouge, LA. Similarity is computed using a vector embedding of demographic, economic, and electoral characteristics.

Live · Metropolitan area

Columbia, SC

State capital anchors a metro whose suburban ring has shifted markedly since 2008

Columbia's Richland County core votes reliably Democratic while the fast-growing Lexington County suburbs have trended competitive, making the metro a reliable bellwether for statewide margin analysis.

Presidential margin · 2024

Data unavailable for this race.

Race data unavailable

Geography

Race data unavailable

No current race for this office.

2024FIPS 17900

Population3.0M

Median ageU.S. 38.9y

36.1y▼ 2.8

Bachelor's+U.S. 35%

31.5%▼ 3.5

White57.8%
Black33.2%
Hispanic4.8%
Two or more3.1%
Asian1.8%
Other1.8%

Trajectory · 2008–2024

Columbia, SCBaseline

Cycle2024

Open in Cartographer

Constituent Counties

Open in Cartographer

Similarity Explorer

Similar metro areas

Reads like Jackson, MS, Montgomery, AL, and Baton Rouge, LA.

8 visible matches

Educated rural competitive 2

R+14.8

Similarity score94%

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

Educated rural competitive 2

D+13.7

Similarity score94%

Birmingham, AL

Educated rural competitive 2

R+19.8

Similarity score93%

New Orleans-Metairie, LA

Educated rural competitive 2

D+16.9

Similarity score93%

Richmond, VA

Educated rural competitive 2

D+13.4

Similarity score93%

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR

Educated rural competitive 2

R+10.1

Similarity score93%

Constituent Geography

Counties in Columbia, SC

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

Sort:

County	Pop.	Margin	Dem	Rep	Total	Share
Richland	422K	D+34.6	121,110	58,019	182,411	11.7%
Richland	402K	D+34.6	121,110	58,019	182,411	11.7%
Richland	359K	D+34.6	121,110	58,019	182,411	11.7%
Richland	321K	D+34.6	121,110	58,019	182,411	11.7%
Lexington	305K	R+33.5	47,815	96,965	146,903	9.4%
Lexington	278K	R+33.5	47,815	96,965	146,903	9.4%
Lexington	244K	R+33.5	47,815	96,965	146,903	9.4%
Lexington	216K	R+33.5	47,815	96,965	146,903	9.4%
Kershaw	68K	R+28.2	11,826	21,289	33,533	2.1%
Kershaw	63K	R+28.2	11,826	21,289	33,533	2.1%
Kershaw	58K	R+28.2	11,826	21,289	33,533	2.1%
Kershaw	53K	R+28.2	11,826	21,289	33,533	2.1%
Fairfield	23K	D+13.2	6,277	4,792	11,215	0.7%
Fairfield	23K	D+13.2	6,277	4,792	11,215	0.7%
Fairfield	23K	D+13.2	6,277	4,792	11,215	0.7%
Fairfield	21K	D+13.2	6,277	4,792	11,215	0.7%
Saluda	20K	R+44.4	2,454	6,452	9,014	0.6%
Saluda	19K	R+44.4	2,454	6,452	9,014	0.6%
Saluda	19K	R+44.4	2,454	6,452	9,014	0.6%
Saluda	19K	R+44.4	2,454	6,452	9,014	0.6%
Calhoun	15K	R+14.3	3,339	4,474	7,914	0.5%
Calhoun	15K	R+14.3	3,339	4,474	7,914	0.5%
Calhoun	15K	R+14.3	3,339	4,474	7,914	0.5%
Calhoun	14K	R+14.3	3,339	4,474	7,914	0.5%

24 countiesTotal votes: 1,563,960

Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Columbia, SC's political evolution with the Historian

“How has the Columbia, SC metro area 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.

Columbia, SCCensus 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) 57.8%Black 33.2%Hispanic 4.8%Multiracial 2.1%Asian 1.8%

Group	Columbia, SC	National
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)	57.8%	57.4%
▶Black / African American(14)	33.2%	12.2%
▶Hispanic / Latino(19)	4.8%	19.3%
Multiracial / Other	2.1%	4.0%
▶Asian(6)	1.8%	6.0%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10)	0.5%	0.9%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3)	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:

53.3%(452.2K people)

U.S. Religion Census 2020

Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: -43.6pp (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	27.3%	51.2%	—	—
Mainline Protestant	10.5%	19.7%	—	—
Catholic	6.4%	12.1%	—	—
Black Protestant	5.5%	10.3%	—	—
Other	3.4%	6.4%	—	—
LDS (Mormon)	1.2%	2.2%	—	—
Orthodox Christian	0.1%	0.3%	—	—
Non-religiousPopulation	46.7%	—	—	—

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 Columbia, SC metro area? 3,015,741 residents across 24 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

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

Export CSVPro

Columbia, SC vs National3.0M residents

Population & electorate

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

Total population

Local vs state vs U.S.

3.0M

local

3.0MNational 334.9M

Share of U.S. population

Local vs state vs U.S.

0.90%

local

0.90%National 100%

Voting-age population

Local vs state vs U.S.

40.3%

local

40.3%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.

$53,300

local

$53,300National $83,960

Poverty rate

Local vs state vs U.S.

14.1%

local

14.1%National 12.5%

College degree

Local vs state vs U.S.

31.5%

local

31.5%National 35.6%

Homeownership

Local vs state vs U.S.

69.0%

local

69.0%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.

36.1 yrs

local

36.1 yrsNational 39.1 yrs

Age 18–29

Local vs state vs U.S.

14.4%

local

14.4%National 15.7%

Age 65+

Local vs state vs U.S.

10.7%

local

10.7%National 17.0%

Foreign born

Local vs state vs U.S.

4.7%

local

4.7%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 Columbia, SC

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

2024 Turnout

61.3%

vs Previous

-1.7pp

Eligible Non-Voters

247K · 38.7%

Citizen VAP

637,691

History

1988–2024

Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Columbia, SC split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.

ConsistencyHeavy splitting (26/100)

2022 Office Comparisons

Offices	Margin A	Margin B	Split
Senate vs Governor	R+7.7	D+1.5	9.2pp

Average divergence across office pairs: 13.5pp

Containing Geography

Located In

Columbia, SC sits inside these higher-level geographies.

South Carolina(State)

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