state senate districtPennsylvania 48th State Senate District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004R+34.0
2008R+18.3
2012R+28.5
2016R+36.8
2020R+33.3
2024R+33.9
net swing · 2004→2024D+0.1R+34.0 → R+33.9
vs. U.S. · 2024R+32.4R+33.9 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 68.7% of 207,938 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
46,541
94,892
1,393
142,826
207,938
68.7%
2020
45,032
90,897
1,915
137,844
202,158†
68.2%
2016
35,100
78,931
4,962
118,993
197,276†
60.3%
2012
38,015
69,064
1,933
109,012
192,878†
56.5%
2008
44,999
65,574
1,881
112,454
186,593†
60.3%
2004
35,074
71,673
1,012
107,759
180,308†
59.8%
† 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 48PennsylvaniaUnited States
German35.1%21.6%12.5%
Irish11.8%14.8%9.4%
Italian8.4%10.6%4.8%
English8.2%8.3%9.5%
American5.3%4.4%5.3%
Polish4.3%5.4%2.2%
French1.4%—1.6%
Dutch0.8%——
Puerto Rican5.1%3.7%1.8%
Dominican2.5%1.4%0.7%
Mexican1.3%1.4%11.3%
Colombian0.2%0.2%0.4%
Salvadoran0.2%—0.7%
African American†1.5%8.7%9.9%
Asian Indian0.3%1.2%1.4%
Chinese0.2%0.9%1.3%
Filipino0.2%0.2%0.9%
Vietnamese0.2%0.3%0.6%
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 48
Pennsylvania
United States
Median age
41.8
41.2
39.1
Age 18–24
9.0%
8.9%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
18.9%
19.5%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
PA SD 48
Pennsylvania
United States
Median household income
$85,409
$77,971
$84,427
Poverty rate
8.1%
11.7%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
27.1%
35.2%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
PA SD 48
Pennsylvania
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
17.7%
12.4%
22.3%
Spanish
13.2%
5.6%
13.6%
German or other West Germanic
1.8%
0.9%
0.5%
Religious landscape
Measure
PA SD 48
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 48th State Senate District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−34.0%
2008
−18.3%
2012
−28.5%
2016
−36.8%
2020
−33.3%
2024
−33.9%
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
R
32.6%Harris46,541
66.4%Trump94,892
1.0%
R+33.9
R+0.6
R+32.4
142,826
R
32.7%Biden45,032
65.9%Trump90,897
1.4%
R+33.3
D+3.6
R+37.7
137,844
R
29.5%Clinton35,100
66.3%Trump78,931
4.2%
R+36.8
R+8.4
R+38.9
118,993
R
34.9%Obama38,015
63.4%Romney69,064
1.8%
R+28.5
R+10.2
R+32.3
109,012
R
40.0%Obama44,999
58.3%McCain65,574
1.7%
R+18.3
D+15.7
R+25.6
112,454
R
32.5%Kerry35,074
66.5%Bush71,673
0.9%
R+34.0
—
R+31.5
107,759
current representation
Current officeholders
RChris GebhardState Senate · 48
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
With a 2024 presidential margin of R+24.7, this district anchors the GOP's rural base in the state senate and has shown consistent double-digit Republican margins across recent election cycles.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 36.8 points in 2016. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 0.6 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 33.9 points.
A population of 268,650, a 84% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $85,409 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 53 and State Senate District 28.
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 48th State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/42048/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Pennsylvania 48th State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Pennsylvania 48th State Senate District voted Republican by 33.9 points (R+33.9), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 142,826 votes cast, 46,541 went Democratic and 94,892 went Republican.
How many people live in Pennsylvania 48th State Senate District?
Pennsylvania 48th State Senate District has a population of 268,650 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Pennsylvania 48th State Senate District?
Median household income in Pennsylvania 48th State Senate District is $85,409 — above the national median of $80,734. The Pennsylvania state median is $77,971.
What is the political history of Pennsylvania 48th State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Pennsylvania 48th State Senate District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
