state house districtArkansas 97th State House District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004R+20.2
2008R+26.6
2012R+24.5
2016R+23.6
2020R+25.3
2024R+28.4
net swing · 2004→2024R+8.2R+20.2 → R+28.4
vs. U.S. · 2024R+26.9R+28.4 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 54.1% of 21,204 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
4,014
7,271
188
11,473
21,204
54.1%
2020
4,411
7,545
407
12,363
21,865†
56.5%
2016
4,111
6,781
428
11,320
22,505†
50.3%
2012
4,194
6,971
186
11,351
23,148†
49.0%
2008
4,054
7,091
275
11,420
24,020†
47.5%
2004
4,612
6,972
121
11,705
24,891†
47.0%
† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles from the constituent-county ACS trend anchored to the current figure. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupAR HD 97ArkansasUnited States
English9.3%12.3%9.5%
American8.2%7.5%5.3%
German4.4%9.2%12.5%
Irish4.3%8.9%9.4%
French1.0%1.3%1.6%
Scotch-Irish1.0%0.6%—
Scottish0.7%1.8%1.3%
Dutch0.4%——
African American†34.9%13.5%9.9%
African0.2%0.9%0.5%
Mexican4.3%6.3%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.2%0.3%1.8%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
AR HD 97
Arkansas
United States
Median age
39.3
38.8
39.1
Age 18–24
8.0%
9.4%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
19.3%
17.5%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
AR HD 97
Arkansas
United States
Median household income
$57,213
$60,773
$84,427
Poverty rate
18.7%
16.0%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
19.1%
26.0%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
AR HD 97
Arkansas
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
4.2%
8.3%
22.3%
Spanish
3.4%
6.2%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
AR HD 97
Arkansas
United States
Catholic
—
5.2%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
38.2%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
42.5%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Arkansas 97th State House District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−20.2%
2008
−26.6%
2012
−24.5%
2016
−23.6%
2020
−25.3%
2024
−28.4%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004, 2012 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for these cycles was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
35.0%Harris4,014
63.4%Trump7,271
1.6%
R+28.4
R+3.0
R+26.9
11,473
R
35.7%Biden4,411
61.0%Trump7,545
3.3%
R+25.3
R+1.8
R+29.8
12,363
R
36.3%Clinton4,111
59.9%Trump6,781
3.8%
R+23.6
D+0.9
R+25.7
11,320
R
36.9%Obama4,194
61.4%Romney6,971
1.6%
R+24.5
D+2.1
R+28.3
11,351
R
35.5%Obama4,054
62.1%McCain7,091
2.4%
R+26.6
R+6.4
R+33.9
11,420
R
39.4%Kerry4,612
59.6%Bush6,972
1.0%
R+20.2
—
R+17.7
11,705
current representation
Current officeholders
RMatthew ShepherdState House · 97
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
With a 2024 presidential margin of R+63.2, this rural Arkansas district sits among the most one-sided in the state, reflecting the deep partisan consolidation that has reshaped small-town and agricultural communities across the Delta and Ozark regions over the past two decades.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 28.4 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 3.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 28.4 points.
A population of 30,182, a 56% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $57,213 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State House District 98 and State House District 34.
Akashic
Political twins — state-house districts
The state-house districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
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.
Arkansas 97th State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/05097/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Arkansas 97th State House District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Arkansas 97th State House District voted Republican by 28.4 points (R+28.4), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 11,473 votes cast, 4,014 went Democratic and 7,271 went Republican.
How many people live in Arkansas 97th State House District?
Arkansas 97th State House District has a population of 30,182 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Arkansas 97th State House District?
Median household income in Arkansas 97th State House District is $57,213 — below the national median of $80,734. The Arkansas state median is $60,773.
What is the political history of Arkansas 97th State House District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Arkansas 97th State House District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
