How did Columbus, NE vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Columbus, NE voted Republican in 2024 with a margin of R+57.0. Kamala D Harris received 4,036 votes and Donald Trump received 14,962 out of 19,174 total votes cast, a 2.8-point shift toward Republicans from 2020.

What is Columbus, NE's political history?

Columbus, NE 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 61.4 points in 1920.

What are the demographics of Columbus, NE?

Columbus, NE has a population of 172,533 according to the 2020 Census. The racial composition is 76.9% non-Hispanic white, 20.5% Hispanic. About 18% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median household income is $54,830.

Which places are most similar to Columbus, NE?

Based on demographic and electoral similarity analysis, the three most similar metro areas to Columbus, NE are Elko, NV, Twin Falls, ID, Winnemucca, NV. Similarity is computed using a vector embedding of demographic, economic, and electoral characteristics.

Live · Metropolitan area

Columbus, NE

A university hub that tilts sharply left in a sea of rural red

Columbus anchors Platte County, where a growing Latino population tied to meatpacking and food-processing industries has reshaped the demographic mix — yet the metro still swung decisively toward Democrats by 43 points in 2024.

Presidential margin · 2024

Data unavailable for this race.

Race data unavailable

Geography

Race data unavailable

No current race for this office.

2024FIPS 18100

Population173K

Median ageU.S. 38.9y

37y▼ 1.9

Bachelor's+U.S. 35%

18.3%▼ 16.7

White76.9%
Hispanic20.5%
Two or more6.2%
Other5.1%
Black0.7%
Native0.7%

Trajectory · 2008–2024

Columbus, NEBaseline

Cycle2024

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Constituent Counties

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Similarity Explorer

Similar metro areas

Reads like Elko, NV, Twin Falls, ID, and Winnemucca, NV.

8 visible matches

Small-town rural republican 3

Constituent Geography

Counties in Columbus, NE

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

Sort:

County	Pop.	Margin	Dem	Rep	Total	Share
Platte	35K	R+58.3	3,191	12,326	15,658	20.4%
Platte	33K	R+58.3	3,191	12,326	15,658	20.4%
Platte	32K	R+58.3	3,191	12,326	15,658	20.4%
Platte	32K	R+58.3	3,191	12,326	15,658	20.4%
Colfax	11K	R+50.9	845	2,636	3,516	4.6%
Colfax	10K	R+50.9	845	2,636	3,516	4.6%
Colfax	10K	R+50.9	845	2,636	3,516	4.6%
Colfax	10K	R+50.9	845	2,636	3,516	4.6%

8 countiesTotal votes: 76,696

Historian Query

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“How has the Columbus, NE 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.

Columbus, NECensus 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) 76.9%Hispanic 20.5%Black 0.7%Multiracial 0.7%Native American 0.7%Asian 0.4%

Group	Columbus, NE	National
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)	76.9%	57.4%
▶Hispanic / Latino(13)	20.5%	19.3%
▶Black / African American(6)	0.7%	12.2%
Multiracial / Other	0.7%	4.0%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3)	0.7%	0.9%
▶Asian(3)	0.4%	6.0%

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.

Religious Adherents

Population that are religious adherents:

69.5%(31.5K people)

U.S. Religion Census 2020

Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: +35.9pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Catholic-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Democratic-leaning urban and suburban 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
Catholic	43.7%	62.9%	—	—
Evangelical Protestant	15.6%	22.5%	—	—
Mainline Protestant	8.4%	12.1%	—	—
Other	1.8%	2.6%	—	—
LDS (Mormon)	0.8%	1.1%	—	—
Non-religiousPopulation	30.5%	—	—	—

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 Catholic adherence nationally

Who lives in the Columbus, NE metro area? 172,533 residents across 8 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

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

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Columbus, NE vs National173K residents

18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 15pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+15 on average nationally.

Population & electorate

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

Total population

Local vs state vs U.S.

173K

local

173KNational 334.9M

Share of U.S. population

Local vs state vs U.S.

0.05%

local

0.05%National 100%

Voting-age population

Local vs state vs U.S.

36.7%

local

36.7%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.

$54,830

local

$54,830National $83,960

Poverty rate

Local vs state vs U.S.

8.9%

local

8.9%National 12.5%

College degree

Local vs state vs U.S.

18.3%

local

18.3%National 35.6%

Homeownership

Local vs state vs U.S.

74.0%

local

74.0%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.

37.0 yrs

local

37.0 yrsNational 39.1 yrs

Age 18–29

Local vs state vs U.S.

10.6%

local

10.6%National 15.7%

Age 65+

Local vs state vs U.S.

12.0%

local

12.0%National 17.0%

Foreign born

Local vs state vs U.S.

11.8%

local

11.8%National 14.1%

Non-English at home

Local vs state vs U.S.

19.5%

local

19.5%National 22.2%

English only

Local vs state vs U.S.

80.5%

local

80.5%National 77.8%

Voter Turnout

Turnout in Columbus, NE

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

2024 Turnout

66.5%

vs Previous

-1.0pp

Eligible Non-Voters

10K · 33.5%

Citizen VAP

28,821

History

1988–2024

Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Columbus, NE split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.

ConsistencyHeavy splitting (0/100)

2024 Office Comparisons

Offices	Margin A	Margin B	Split
President vs Senate	R+57.0	R+62.2	5.3pp

Average divergence across office pairs: 22.0pp

Containing Geography

Located In

Columbus, NE sits inside these higher-level geographies.

Nebraska(State)

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