state senate districtNew Jersey 21st State Senate District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004R+14.6
2008R+4.6
2012R+10.6
2016D+7.7
2020D+17.5
2024D+12.0
net swing · 2004→2024D+26.6R+14.6 → D+12.0
vs. U.S. · 2024D+13.4D+12.0 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 82.0% of 159,718 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
71,513
55,850
3,604
130,967
159,718
82.0%
2020
78,652
55,052
1,207
134,911
155,072†
87.0%
2016
59,789
50,970
4,381
115,140
151,425†
76.0%
2012
46,072
57,105
1,208
104,385
144,652†
72.2%
2008
54,141
59,406
1,273
114,820
141,401†
81.2%
2004
45,884
61,765
862
108,511
138,150†
78.5%
† 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
GroupNJ SD 21New JerseyUnited States
Italian18.5%13.7%4.8%
Irish15.1%12.1%9.4%
German11.3%8.6%12.5%
Polish7.9%4.6%2.2%
English6.2%4.9%9.5%
American6.1%3.3%5.3%
Portuguese2.7%0.4%—
Russian2.4%1.3%—
Asian Indian6.3%4.6%1.4%
Chinese2.8%1.6%1.3%
Filipino1.6%1.3%0.9%
Pakistani0.5%0.4%—
Korean0.5%1.1%0.4%
Puerto Rican1.6%5.1%1.8%
Dominican1.4%4.0%0.7%
Colombian1.4%1.7%0.4%
Ecuadorian1.0%1.7%—
Salvadoran1.0%0.8%0.7%
Mexican0.8%2.6%11.3%
Guatemalan0.6%—0.5%
Cuban0.6%0.9%0.7%
African American†2.2%8.6%9.9%
Haitian0.4%0.7%0.3%
Jamaican0.2%0.8%0.4%
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
NJ SD 21
New Jersey
United States
Median age
43.6
40.3
39.1
Age 18–24
8.3%
8.4%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
16.0%
17.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
NJ SD 21
New Jersey
United States
Median household income
$177,704
$103,556
$84,427
Poverty rate
4.6%
9.7%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
46.2%
43.5%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
NJ SD 21
New Jersey
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
42.1%
33.2%
22.3%
Spanish
23.2%
17.2%
13.6%
French (incl. Cajun & Haitian)
2.3%
1.1%
0.7%
Other Indo-European
7.3%
5.6%
2.0%
Chinese (incl. Mandarin & Cantonese)
2.0%
1.5%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
NJ SD 21
New Jersey
United States
Catholic
—
32.0%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
5.1%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
47.8%
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.
New Jersey 21st State Senate District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−14.6%
2008
−4.6%
2012
−10.6%
2016
+7.7%
2020
+17.5%
2024
+12.0%
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, 2020 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
D
54.6%Harris71,513
42.6%Trump55,850
2.8%
D+12.0
R+5.5
D+13.4
130,967
D
58.3%Biden78,652
40.8%Trump55,052
0.9%
D+17.5
D+9.8
D+13.0
134,911
D
51.9%Clinton59,789
44.3%Trump50,970
3.8%
D+7.7
D+18.2
D+5.6
115,140
R
44.1%Obama46,072
54.7%Romney57,105
1.2%
R+10.6
R+6.0
R+14.4
104,385
R
47.2%Obama54,141
51.7%McCain59,406
1.1%
R+4.6
D+10.0
R+11.9
114,820
R
42.3%Kerry45,884
56.9%Bush61,765
0.8%
R+14.6
—
R+12.2
108,511
current representation
Current officeholders
RJon BramnickState Senate · 21
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
Anchored in Essex County's urban core, this district posts presidential margins above D+30, reflecting a densely populated, majority-minority electorate that has voted reliably for Democratic candidates across offices for decades.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 17.5 points in 2020 and a Republican high of 14.6 points in 2004. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 5.5 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 12.0 points.
A population of 229,293, a 69% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $177,704 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 26 and State Senate District 39.
Akashic
Political twins — state-senate districts
The state-senate 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.
New Jersey 21st State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/34021/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did New Jersey 21st State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, New Jersey 21st State Senate District voted Democratic by 12.0 points (D+12.0), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 130,967 votes cast, 71,513 went Democratic and 55,850 went Republican.
When did New Jersey 21st State Senate District last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which New Jersey 21st State Senate District voted Republican was 2012.
How many people live in New Jersey 21st State Senate District?
New Jersey 21st State Senate District has a population of 229,293 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in New Jersey 21st State Senate District?
Median household income in New Jersey 21st State Senate District is $177,704 — above the national median of $80,734. The New Jersey state median is $103,556.
What is the political history of New Jersey 21st State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in New Jersey 21st State Senate District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 3 went Democratic and 3 went Republican.
