state senate districtWisconsin 16th State Senate District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004D+14.0
2008D+29.2
2012D+25.7
2016D+24.5
2020D+29.8
2024D+29.6
net swing · 2004→2024D+15.5D+14.0 → D+29.6
vs. U.S. · 2024D+31.0D+29.6 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 82.7% of 136,549 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
72,383
38,993
1,581
112,957
136,549
82.7%
2020
68,172
36,431
1,859
106,462
129,268†
82.4%
2016
53,890
31,468
6,053
91,411
122,558†
74.6%
2012
56,988
33,414
1,325
91,727
116,439†
78.8%
2008
53,714
29,208
1,109
84,031
114,317†
73.5%
2004
46,773
35,172
850
82,795
112,194†
73.8%
† 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
GroupWI SD 16WisconsinUnited States
German36.1%35.8%12.5%
Irish13.3%10.4%9.4%
English9.8%6.7%9.5%
Norwegian8.2%6.1%—
Polish5.6%7.6%2.2%
Italian4.0%2.7%4.8%
American2.7%3.4%5.3%
French2.3%2.2%1.6%
Mexican4.7%5.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.7%1.1%1.8%
Colombian0.3%—0.4%
Spaniard0.3%——
Cuban0.2%—0.7%
Nicaraguan0.2%——
Venezuelan0.2%——
Spanish0.2%——
African American†3.2%5.3%9.9%
African0.8%0.2%0.5%
Somali0.2%——
Asian Indian1.0%0.6%1.4%
Chinese1.0%0.4%1.3%
Hmong0.5%1.0%—
Filipino0.2%0.2%0.9%
Korean0.2%—0.4%
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
WI SD 16
Wisconsin
United States
Median age
39.1
40.5
39.1
Age 18–24
13.1%
9.3%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
15.6%
18.5%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
WI SD 16
Wisconsin
United States
Median household income
$94,246
$77,485
$84,427
Poverty rate
6.4%
10.6%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
51.0%
33.5%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
WI SD 16
Wisconsin
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
10.7%
9.1%
22.3%
Spanish
4.8%
5.0%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
1.4%
0.7%
2.0%
Chinese (incl. Mandarin & Cantonese)
1.2%
0.3%
1.1%
Other Asian & Pacific Island
1.3%
1.2%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
WI SD 16
Wisconsin
United States
Catholic
—
21.0%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
14.5%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
52.0%
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.
Wisconsin 16th State Senate District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+14.0%
2008
+29.2%
2012
+25.7%
2016
+24.5%
2020
+29.8%
2024
+29.6%
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
64.1%Harris72,383
34.5%Trump38,993
1.4%
D+29.6
R+0.3
D+31.0
112,957
D
64.0%Biden68,172
34.2%Trump36,431
1.7%
D+29.8
D+5.3
D+25.4
106,462
D
59.0%Clinton53,890
34.4%Trump31,468
6.6%
D+24.5
R+1.2
D+22.4
91,411
D
62.1%Obama56,988
36.4%Romney33,414
1.4%
D+25.7
R+3.5
D+21.8
91,727
D
63.9%Obama53,714
34.8%McCain29,208
1.3%
D+29.2
D+15.2
D+21.9
84,031
D
56.5%Kerry46,773
42.5%Bush35,172
1.0%
D+14.0
—
D+16.5
82,795
current representation
Current officeholders
DMelissa RatcliffState Senate · 16
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
Anchored in the heart of Milwaukee, this district delivers some of the most lopsided Democratic margins in Wisconsin, reflecting a dense urban electorate with high concentrations of Black residents and renters.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 29.8 points in 2020. The 2024 margin was 29.6 points.
A population of 177,313, a 80% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $94,246 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 27 and State Senate District 64.
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.
Wisconsin 16th State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/55016/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Wisconsin 16th State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Wisconsin 16th State Senate District voted Democratic by 29.6 points (D+29.6), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 112,957 votes cast, 72,383 went Democratic and 38,993 went Republican.
How many people live in Wisconsin 16th State Senate District?
Wisconsin 16th State Senate District has a population of 177,313 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Wisconsin 16th State Senate District?
Median household income in Wisconsin 16th State Senate District is $94,246 — above the national median of $80,734. The Wisconsin state median is $77,485.
What is the political history of Wisconsin 16th State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Wisconsin 16th State Senate District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
