How did Winston-Salem, NC vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Winston-Salem, NC voted Republican in 2024 with a margin of R+15.6. Kamala D Harris received 154,402 votes and Donald Trump received 212,636 out of 372,600 total votes cast, a 1.0-point shift toward Republicans from 2020.

What is Winston-Salem, NC's political history?

Winston-Salem, NC has 40 presidential elections on record, spanning 1868 to 2024. It has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1952. The largest single-election swing was 57.9 points in 1932.

What are the demographics of Winston-Salem, NC?

Winston-Salem, NC has a population of 2,540,179 according to the 2020 Census. The racial composition is 70.4% non-Hispanic white, 9.0% Hispanic, 17.3% Black. About 26% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median household income is $50,201.

Which places are most similar to Winston-Salem, NC?

Based on demographic and electoral similarity analysis, the three most similar metro areas to Winston-Salem, NC are Pittsburgh, PA, Roanoke, VA, Richmond, VA. Similarity is computed using a vector embedding of demographic, economic, and electoral characteristics.

Live · Metropolitan area

Winston-Salem, NC

Forsyth County anchor where suburban realignment meets a majority-minority city core

Winston-Salem's metro has trended toward competitive margins as college-educated suburban voters shifted in recent cycles, while the city proper—nearly 40% Black—anchors strong Democratic turnout that rural Forsyth precincts partially offset.

Presidential margin · 2024

Data unavailable for this race.

Race data unavailable

Geography

Race data unavailable

No current race for this office.

2024FIPS 49180

Population2.5M

Median ageU.S. 38.9y

39.1y▲ 0.2

Bachelor's+U.S. 35%

25.9%▼ 9.1

White70.4%
Black17.3%
Hispanic9.0%
Other3.7%
Two or more3.3%
Asian1.4%

Trajectory · 2008–2024

Winston-Salem, NCBaseline

Cycle2024

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Constituent Counties

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Similarity Explorer

Similar metro areas

Reads like Pittsburgh, PA, Roanoke, VA, and Richmond, VA.

8 visible matches

Pittsburgh, PA

Educated rural competitive 2

R+4.5

Similarity score92%

Roanoke, VA

Small-town rural republican 2

R+18.6

Similarity score91%

Richmond, VA

Educated rural competitive 2

D+13.4

Similarity score91%

Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH

Small-town rural republican 2

R+10.7

Similarity score90%

Peoria, IL

Small-town rural republican 2

R+15.1

Similarity score89%

Greensboro-High Point, NC

Educated rural competitive 2

D+0.2

Similarity score89%

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

Educated rural competitive 2

D+9.4

Similarity score89%

Baton Rouge, LA

Educated rural competitive 2

R+14.8

Similarity score88%

Constituent Geography

Counties in Winston-Salem, NC

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

Sort:

County	Pop.	Margin	Dem	Rep	Total	Share
Forsyth	390K	D+13.1	114,145	87,292	204,726	13.7%
Forsyth	365K	D+13.1	114,145	87,292	204,726	13.7%
Forsyth	347K	D+13.1	114,145	87,292	204,726	13.7%
Forsyth	306K	D+13.1	114,145	87,292	204,726	13.7%
Davidson	173K	R+46.9	24,150	67,959	93,452	6.3%
Davidson	164K	R+46.9	24,150	67,959	93,452	6.3%
Davidson	156K	R+46.9	24,150	67,959	93,452	6.3%
Davidson	147K	R+46.9	24,150	67,959	93,452	6.3%
Stokes	46K	R+59.5	5,380	21,548	27,175	1.8%
Stokes	46K	R+59.5	5,380	21,548	27,175	1.8%
Stokes	45K	R+59.5	5,380	21,548	27,175	1.8%
Stokes	45K	R+59.5	5,380	21,548	27,175	1.8%
Davie	44K	R+46.2	6,988	19,398	26,850	1.8%
Davie	42K	R+46.2	6,988	19,398	26,850	1.8%
Davie	40K	R+46.2	6,988	19,398	26,850	1.8%
Yadkin	38K	R+62.3	3,739	16,439	20,397	1.4%
Yadkin	38K	R+62.3	3,739	16,439	20,397	1.4%
Yadkin	38K	R+62.3	3,739	16,439	20,397	1.4%
Yadkin	36K	R+62.3	3,739	16,439	20,397	1.4%
Davie	35K	R+46.2	6,988	19,398	26,850	1.8%

20 countiesTotal votes: 1,490,400

Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Winston-Salem, NC's political evolution with the Historian

“How has the Winston-Salem, NC 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.

Winston-Salem, NCCensus 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) 70.4%Black 17.3%Hispanic 9.0%Multiracial 1.7%Asian 1.4%Native American 0.3%

Group	Winston-Salem, NC	National
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)	70.4%	57.4%
▶Black / African American(13)	17.3%	12.2%
▶Hispanic / Latino(18)	9.0%	19.3%
Multiracial / Other	1.7%	4.0%
▶Asian(6)	1.4%	6.0%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(8)	0.4%	0.9%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(4)	0.3%	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:

59.4%(409.5K people)

U.S. Religion Census 2020

Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: -41.0pp (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	30.8%	51.9%	—	—
Mainline Protestant	13.3%	22.4%	—	—
Catholic	9.1%	15.4%	—	—
Black Protestant	3.3%	5.6%	—	—
Other	2.6%	4.3%	—	—
LDS (Mormon)	0.5%	0.9%	—	—
Orthodox Christian	0.2%	0.4%	—	—
Non-religiousPopulation	40.6%	—	—	—

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 Winston-Salem, NC metro area? 2,540,179 residents across 20 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

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

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Winston-Salem, NC vs National2.5M residents

26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 7pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+3 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.

2.5M

local

2.5MNational 334.9M

Share of U.S. population

Local vs state vs U.S.

0.76%

local

0.76%National 100%

Voting-age population

Local vs state vs U.S.

40.0%

local

40.0%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.

$50,201

local

$50,201National $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.

25.9%

local

25.9%National 35.6%

Homeownership

Local vs state vs U.S.

69.6%

local

69.6%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.

39.1 yrs

local

39.1 yrsNational 39.1 yrs

Age 18–29

Local vs state vs U.S.

11.5%

local

11.5%National 15.7%

Age 65+

Local vs state vs U.S.

12.4%

local

12.4%National 17.0%

Foreign born

Local vs state vs U.S.

6.4%

local

6.4%National 14.1%

Non-English at home

Local vs state vs U.S.

10.3%

local

10.3%National 22.2%

English only

Local vs state vs U.S.

89.7%

local

89.7%National 77.8%

Voter Turnout

Turnout in Winston-Salem, NC

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

2024 Turnout

73.0%

vs Previous

+2.4pp

Eligible Non-Voters

138K · 27.0%

Citizen VAP

510,742

History

1988–2024

Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Winston-Salem, NC split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.

ConsistencyHeavy splitting (45/100)

2024 Office Comparisons

Offices	Margin A	Margin B	Split
President vs Governor	R+15.6	D+5.5	21.1pp

Average divergence across office pairs: 10.8pp

Containing Geography

Located In

Winston-Salem, NC sits inside these higher-level geographies.

North Carolina(State)

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