state senate districtTennessee 21st State Senate District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004D+11.1
2008D+21.6
2012D+16.4
2016D+28.3
2020D+33.9
2024D+24.2
net swing · 2004→2024D+13.1D+11.1 → D+24.2
vs. U.S. · 2024D+25.7D+24.2 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 53.7% of 150,178 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
49,264
29,717
1,692
80,673
150,178
53.7%
2020
55,908
26,947
2,496
85,351
146,342†
58.3%
2016
39,454
20,837
5,414
65,705
139,659†
47.0%
2012
35,637
25,417
1,215
62,269
131,384†
47.4%
2008
41,332
26,455
1,053
68,840
129,704†
53.1%
2004
34,592
27,645
315
62,552
128,024†
48.9%
† 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
GroupTN SD 21TennesseeUnited States
English12.7%13.3%9.5%
German10.3%9.1%12.5%
Irish9.2%9.3%9.4%
American6.5%11.3%5.3%
Italian3.4%2.2%4.8%
Scottish2.5%2.2%1.3%
Scotch-Irish1.8%1.7%—
French1.7%1.3%1.6%
Mexican9.0%3.8%11.3%
Honduran2.5%0.5%0.3%
Guatemalan1.7%0.6%0.5%
Puerto Rican0.9%0.6%1.8%
Salvadoran0.9%0.2%0.7%
Cuban0.8%0.2%0.7%
Colombian0.4%—0.4%
Venezuelan0.3%0.2%—
African American†10.4%14.3%9.9%
African0.6%0.6%0.5%
Nigerian0.2%—0.2%
Asian Indian1.4%0.5%1.4%
Chinese1.0%0.2%1.3%
Vietnamese0.8%0.2%0.6%
Burmese0.8%——
Filipino0.6%0.2%0.9%
Korean0.6%—0.4%
Laotian0.4%——
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
TN SD 21
Tennessee
United States
Median age
31.4
39.3
39.1
Age 18–24
9.6%
8.9%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
12.9%
17.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
TN SD 21
Tennessee
United States
Median household income
$80,239
$69,595
$84,427
Poverty rate
14.0%
13.8%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
48.4%
31.3%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
TN SD 21
Tennessee
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
19.2%
8.7%
22.3%
Spanish
10.8%
5.3%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
1.4%
0.7%
2.0%
Arabic
1.9%
0.5%
0.4%
Other languages
1.9%
0.4%
0.8%
Religious landscape
Measure
TN SD 21
Tennessee
United States
Catholic
—
4.0%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
36.6%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
44.5%
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.
Tennessee 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
+11.1%
2008
+21.6%
2012
+16.4%
2016
+28.3%
2020
+33.9%
2024
+24.2%
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
61.1%Harris49,264
36.8%Trump29,717
2.1%
D+24.2
R+9.7
D+25.7
80,673
D
65.5%Biden55,908
31.6%Trump26,947
2.9%
D+33.9
D+5.6
D+29.5
85,351
D
60.0%Clinton39,454
31.7%Trump20,837
8.2%
D+28.3
D+11.9
D+26.2
65,705
D
57.2%Obama35,637
40.8%Romney25,417
2.0%
D+16.4
R+5.2
D+12.6
62,269
D
60.0%Obama41,332
38.4%McCain26,455
1.5%
D+21.6
D+10.5
D+14.3
68,840
D
55.3%Kerry34,592
44.2%Bush27,645
0.5%
D+11.1
—
D+13.6
62,552
current representation
Current officeholders
DJeff YarbroState Senate · 21
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
With a 2024 presidential margin of R+45.9, this Middle or East Tennessee district ranks among the state's most one-sided constituencies, where general-election outcomes are typically decided in the primary.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 33.9 points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 9.7 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 24.2 points.
A population of 216,084, a 59% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $80,239 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 13 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.
Tennessee 21st State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/47021/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Tennessee 21st State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Tennessee 21st State Senate District voted Democratic by 24.2 points (D+24.2), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 80,673 votes cast, 49,264 went Democratic and 29,717 went Republican.
How many people live in Tennessee 21st State Senate District?
Tennessee 21st State Senate District has a population of 216,084 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Tennessee 21st State Senate District?
Median household income in Tennessee 21st State Senate District is $80,239 — below the national median of $80,734. The Tennessee state median is $69,595.
What is the political history of Tennessee 21st State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Tennessee 21st State Senate District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
