akashic
1876–2024
Halifax County, North Carolina
Halifax County·North Carolina

Halifax County changed its political identity.

A majority-Black rural county where Democrats consistently run double-digit margins

18762024·38 elections
Halifax County, North Carolina · Cecouchman · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
D+18
in 2024
Archetype
Realigner
since the recent cycles
Population
47,675
2024 ACS
Most similar
Edgecombe County
NC · similarity 1.00
19 precincts · 23,965 votes cast
Harris · D+18
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024D
+17.7%
14,0149,77823,965
2020D
+21.2%
15,54510,08025,759
2016D
+26.7%
15,7489,03125,167
2012D
+32.3%
17,1768,76326,079
2008D
+28.2%
16,0478,96125,091
2004D
+17.5%
11,5288,08819,647
2000R
−20.8%
6,69810,22216,970
1996D
+23.9%
9,5515,70016,103
1992D
+23.5%
9,9605,76917,804
1988D
+7.8%
8,7267,46216,211
1984D
+2.5%
9,2788,83218,153
1980D
+15.9%
8,3646,03314,648
1976D
+19.9%
7,8925,25713,254
1972R
−34.9%
4,2418,90813,375
1968D
+11.7%
4,9273,14815,191
1964D
+30.6%
8,9524,75713,709
1960D
+58.2%
8,8722,34311,215
1956D
+54.0%
7,8602,34610,206
1952D
+59.9%
8,8072,21011,017
1948D
+79.7%
6,1725057,109
1944D
+88.2%
6,9894407,429
1940D
+91.3%
7,9823618,343
1936D
+92.8%
8,2303088,538
1932D
+90.4%
6,4133066,752
1928D
+69.2%
4,8828905,772
1924D
+82.7%
3,2322683,583
1920D
+73.5%
3,4295243,953
1916D
+77.1%
2,3122992,612
1912D
+91.2%
2,300422,477
1908D
+70.1%
2,1653802,545
1904D
+86.1%
2,4271812,608
1900D
+29.5%
3,9902,1746,164
1896R
−27.9%
2,2554,0036,261
1892D
+34.7%
3,0791,3764,906
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
Polish
0.6%
African American
41.4%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Baptist
19.1%
Other Christian
13.7%
Methodist
8.2%
Pentecostal & Holiness
1.6%
Catholic & Orthodox
1.1%
Mainline Protestant
0.9%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 55.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Halifax County's population is roughly 52% Black, anchoring a durable Democratic lean in a region otherwise trending toward Republican candidates. The county seat of Halifax predates the United States itself, giving the area deep historical roots in North Carolina politics.

The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Halifax County peaked at ninety-three points in 1936; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2004 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of eighteen points. By 2024, the margin had settled into deep Republican territory.

The economic and demographic context is severe. Halifax County's median household income of $45,590 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 23% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Edgecombe County and Hertford County.