state senate districtVirginia 3rd State Senate District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004R+28.5
2008R+17.9
2012R+21.4
2016R+30.3
2020R+27.8
2024R+29.0
net swing · 2004→2024R+0.5R+28.5 → R+29.0
vs. U.S. · 2024R+27.5R+29.0 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 70.7% of 169,946 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
41,827
76,667
1,717
120,211
169,946
70.7%
2020
41,468
74,214
2,216
117,898
166,034†
71.0%
2016
32,923
63,960
5,699
102,582
164,131†
62.5%
2012
38,308
59,623
1,852
99,783
161,020†
62.0%
2008
39,641
57,290
1,397
98,328
157,625†
62.4%
2004
31,690
57,289
871
89,850
154,229†
58.3%
† 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
GroupVA SD 3VirginiaUnited States
English15.8%12.0%9.5%
German13.5%10.1%12.5%
Irish10.6%9.1%9.4%
American10.4%8.4%5.3%
Italian2.8%3.9%4.8%
Scottish2.5%1.9%1.3%
Scotch-Irish2.1%——
French0.9%1.3%1.6%
African American†5.5%15.6%9.9%
African0.2%0.9%0.5%
Mexican1.6%2.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.5%1.4%1.8%
Salvadoran0.3%2.1%0.7%
Honduran0.2%0.7%0.3%
Asian Indian0.3%1.8%1.4%
Vietnamese0.2%0.7%0.6%
Chinese0.2%0.8%1.3%
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
VA SD 3
Virginia
United States
Median age
44.1
39.3
39.1
Age 18–24
9.2%
9.2%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
22.3%
16.7%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
VA SD 3
Virginia
United States
Median household income
$69,642
$93,170
$84,427
Poverty rate
9.7%
10.0%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
30.4%
42.3%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
VA SD 3
Virginia
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
5.5%
17.5%
22.3%
Spanish
2.9%
7.9%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
VA SD 3
Virginia
United States
Catholic
—
10.2%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
19.9%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
54.3%
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.
Virginia 3rd State Senate District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−28.5%
2008
−17.9%
2012
−21.4%
2016
−30.3%
2020
−27.8%
2024
−29.0%
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 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
34.8%Harris41,827
63.8%Trump76,667
1.4%
R+29.0
R+1.2
R+27.5
120,211
R
35.2%Biden41,468
62.9%Trump74,214
1.9%
R+27.8
D+2.5
R+32.2
117,898
R
32.1%Clinton32,923
62.4%Trump63,960
5.6%
R+30.3
R+8.9
R+32.3
102,582
R
38.4%Obama38,308
59.8%Romney59,623
1.9%
R+21.4
R+3.4
R+25.2
99,783
R
40.3%Obama39,641
58.3%McCain57,290
1.4%
R+17.9
D+10.5
R+25.2
98,328
R
35.3%Kerry31,690
63.8%Bush57,289
1.0%
R+28.5
—
R+26.0
89,850
current representation
Current officeholders
RChris HeadState Senate · 3
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
With a 2024 presidential margin of D+34.1, this Northern Virginia district ranks among the state's most reliably left-leaning constituencies, where turnout patterns and demographic density tend to set the baseline for statewide Democratic performance.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 30.3 points in 2016. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 1.2 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 29.0 points.
A population of 212,324, a 85% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $69,642 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 46 and State Senate District 47.
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.
Virginia 3rd State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/51003/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Virginia 3rd State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Virginia 3rd State Senate District voted Republican by 29.0 points (R+29.0), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 120,211 votes cast, 41,827 went Democratic and 76,667 went Republican.
How many people live in Virginia 3rd State Senate District?
Virginia 3rd State Senate District has a population of 212,324 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Virginia 3rd State Senate District?
Median household income in Virginia 3rd State Senate District is $69,642 — below the national median of $80,734. The Virginia state median is $93,170.
What is the political history of Virginia 3rd State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Virginia 3rd State Senate District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
