state senate districtPennsylvania 42nd State Senate District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004D+24.1
2008D+24.5
2012D+26.8
2016D+28.9
2020D+33.7
2024D+33.5
net swing · 2004→2024D+9.3D+24.1 → D+33.5
vs. U.S. · 2024D+34.9D+33.5 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 69.8% of 198,284 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
91,266
44,971
2,110
138,347
198,284
69.8%
2020
92,530
45,431
1,825
139,786
195,081†
71.7%
2016
78,925
42,381
5,023
126,329
196,199†
64.4%
2012
75,759
43,339
1,763
120,861
195,035†
62.0%
2008
77,944
46,958
1,558
126,460
193,339†
65.4%
2004
77,262
46,960
1,298
125,520
191,643†
65.5%
† 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
GroupPA SD 42PennsylvaniaUnited States
German21.7%21.6%12.5%
Irish16.5%14.8%9.4%
Italian14.1%10.6%4.8%
English8.2%8.3%9.5%
Polish7.4%5.4%2.2%
American2.6%4.4%5.3%
Slovak2.6%0.8%—
Scottish1.8%1.1%1.3%
African American†13.7%8.7%9.9%
African0.6%0.4%0.5%
Jamaican0.4%0.3%0.4%
Nigerian0.2%—0.2%
Asian Indian1.6%1.2%1.4%
Chinese0.9%0.9%1.3%
Filipino0.2%0.2%0.9%
Vietnamese0.2%0.3%0.6%
Korean0.2%0.2%0.4%
Nepalese0.2%——
Mexican1.1%1.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.7%3.7%1.8%
Dominican0.2%1.4%0.7%
Spanish0.2%——
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
PA SD 42
Pennsylvania
United States
Median age
38.8
41.2
39.1
Age 18–24
8.7%
8.9%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
20.2%
19.5%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
PA SD 42
Pennsylvania
United States
Median household income
$74,154
$77,971
$84,427
Poverty rate
12.7%
11.7%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
45.8%
35.2%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
PA SD 42
Pennsylvania
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
8.5%
12.4%
22.3%
Spanish
1.9%
5.6%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
2.1%
1.7%
2.0%
Other Asian & Pacific Island
1.1%
0.7%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
PA SD 42
Pennsylvania
United States
Catholic
—
21.9%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
9.3%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
53.1%
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.
Pennsylvania 42nd State Senate District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+24.1%
2008
+24.5%
2012
+26.8%
2016
+28.9%
2020
+33.7%
2024
+33.5%
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
66.0%Harris91,266
32.5%Trump44,971
1.5%
D+33.5
R+0.2
D+34.9
138,347
D
66.2%Biden92,530
32.5%Trump45,431
1.3%
D+33.7
D+4.8
D+29.2
139,786
D
62.5%Clinton78,925
33.5%Trump42,381
4.0%
D+28.9
D+2.1
D+26.8
126,329
D
62.7%Obama75,759
35.9%Romney43,339
1.5%
D+26.8
D+2.3
D+23.0
120,861
D
61.6%Obama77,944
37.1%McCain46,958
1.2%
D+24.5
D+0.4
D+17.2
126,460
D
61.6%Kerry77,262
37.4%Bush46,960
1.0%
D+24.1
—
D+26.6
125,520
current representation
Current officeholders
DWayne FontanaState Senate · 42
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
The district recorded a Democratic presidential margin of D+33.5 in 2024, compared with D+24.5 in 2008. The district had about 100,000 residents, 76.1% White alone in the 2024 ACS 5-year.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 33.7 points in 2020. The 2024 margin was 33.5 points.
A population of 250,002, a 73% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $74,154 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 43 and State Senate District 55.
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.
Pennsylvania 42nd State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/42042/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Pennsylvania 42nd State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Pennsylvania 42nd State Senate District voted Democratic by 33.5 points (D+33.5), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 138,347 votes cast, 91,266 went Democratic and 44,971 went Republican.
How many people live in Pennsylvania 42nd State Senate District?
Pennsylvania 42nd State Senate District has a population of 250,002 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Pennsylvania 42nd State Senate District?
Median household income in Pennsylvania 42nd State Senate District is $74,154 — below the national median of $80,734. The Pennsylvania state median is $77,971.
What is the political history of Pennsylvania 42nd State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Pennsylvania 42nd State Senate District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
