state senate districtNorth Carolina 5th State Senate District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004D+1.4
2008D+15.3
2012D+14.5
2016D+13.4
2020D+13.4
2024D+9.6
net swing · 2004→2024D+8.2D+1.4 → D+9.6
vs. U.S. · 2024D+11.1D+9.6 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 65.3% of 170,570 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
60,386
49,691
1,342
111,419
170,570
65.3%
2020
63,341
48,188
1,521
113,050
175,850†
64.3%
2016
58,050
43,956
3,413
105,419
172,087†
61.3%
2012
60,093
44,731
914
105,738
166,713†
63.4%
2008
57,600
42,234
884
100,718
150,413†
67.0%
2004
37,810
36,777
169
74,756
134,114†
55.7%
† 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
GroupNC SD 5North CarolinaUnited States
English10.4%12.7%9.5%
American6.5%8.3%5.3%
German5.6%9.4%12.5%
Irish5.6%8.4%9.4%
Italian1.8%3.3%4.8%
Scotch-Irish1.2%1.4%—
Scottish1.2%2.3%1.3%
Polish0.9%1.0%2.2%
African American†39.0%18.3%9.9%
African0.4%0.7%0.5%
Jamaican0.3%0.2%0.4%
Mexican5.1%5.6%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.9%1.2%1.8%
Venezuelan0.2%——
Cuban0.2%0.3%0.7%
Guatemalan0.2%0.4%0.5%
Honduran0.2%0.7%0.3%
Salvadoran0.2%0.7%0.7%
Asian Indian0.4%1.2%1.4%
Chinese0.2%0.4%1.3%
Filipino0.2%0.2%0.9%
Korean0.2%0.2%0.4%
Japanese0.2%—0.2%
Pakistani0.2%——
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
NC SD 5
North Carolina
United States
Median age
34.6
39.5
39.1
Age 18–24
16.0%
9.5%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
15.9%
17.2%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
NC SD 5
North Carolina
United States
Median household income
$56,619
$72,388
$84,427
Poverty rate
20.3%
13.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
30.3%
35.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
NC SD 5
North Carolina
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
8.1%
13.5%
22.3%
Spanish
5.9%
8.7%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
NC SD 5
North Carolina
United States
Catholic
—
8.9%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
26.5%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
48.0%
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.
North Carolina 5th State Senate District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+1.4%
2008
+15.3%
2012
+14.5%
2016
+13.4%
2020
+13.4%
2024
+9.6%
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 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle 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
54.2%Harris60,386
44.6%Trump49,691
1.2%
D+9.6
R+3.8
D+11.1
111,419
D
56.0%Biden63,341
42.6%Trump48,188
1.3%
D+13.4
±0.0
D+9.0
113,050
D
55.1%Clinton58,050
41.7%Trump43,956
3.2%
D+13.4
R+1.2
D+11.3
105,419
D
56.8%Obama60,093
42.3%Romney44,731
0.9%
D+14.5
R+0.7
D+10.7
105,738
D
57.2%Obama57,600
41.9%McCain42,234
0.9%
D+15.3
D+13.9
D+8.0
100,718
D
50.6%Kerry37,810
49.2%Bush36,777
0.2%
D+1.4
—
D+3.8
74,756
current representation
Current officeholders
DKandie SmithState Senate · 5
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
With a 2024 presidential margin of R+51.8, this western North Carolina district ranks among the state's most politically uniform, leaving little room for competitive down-ballot contests.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 15.3 points in 2008. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 3.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 9.6 points.
A population of 219,143, a 48% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $56,619 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 22.
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.
North Carolina 5th State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/37005/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did North Carolina 5th State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, North Carolina 5th State Senate District voted Democratic by 9.6 points (D+9.6), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 111,419 votes cast, 60,386 went Democratic and 49,691 went Republican.
How many people live in North Carolina 5th State Senate District?
North Carolina 5th State Senate District has a population of 219,143 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in North Carolina 5th State Senate District?
Median household income in North Carolina 5th State Senate District is $56,619 — below the national median of $80,734. The North Carolina state median is $72,388.
What is the political history of North Carolina 5th State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in North Carolina 5th State Senate District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
