| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 402,984 | 236,735 | 653,580 | |
| 2020 | D | 393,336 | 226,197 | 631,830 | |
| 2016 | D | 302,736 | 196,082 | 527,624 | |
| 2012 | D | 267,262 | 211,596 | 486,427 | |
| 2008 | D | 250,891 | 187,001 | 442,245 | |
| 2004 | R | 169,909 | 177,324 | 348,844 | |
| 2000 | D | 142,494 | 123,466 | 268,220 | |
| 1996 | R | 103,574 | 108,780 | 225,755 | |
| 1992 | D | 88,979 | 86,798 | 207,467 | |
| 1988 | R | 61,352 | 81,613 | 143,504 | |
| 1984 | R | 50,323 | 81,251 | 131,871 | |
| 1980 | R | 49,003 | 49,768 | 105,193 | |
| 1976 | R | 44,005 | 44,291 | 88,775 | |
| 1972 | R | 22,807 | 56,808 | 80,789 | |
| 1968 | R | 20,979 | 28,928 | 67,157 | |
| 1964 | D | 31,653 | 22,542 | 54,195 | |
| 1960 | D | 26,050 | 18,436 | 44,486 | |
| 1956 | D | 22,427 | 15,194 | 37,621 | |
| 1952 | D | 23,393 | 15,057 | 38,450 | |
| 1948 | D | 17,939 | 4,850 | 24,423 | |
| 1944 | D | 18,050 | 3,996 | 22,046 | |
| 1940 | D | 18,083 | 2,665 | 20,748 | |
| 1936 | D | 19,850 | 2,456 | 22,306 | |
| 1932 | D | 14,863 | 2,170 | 17,279 | |
| 1928 | D | 9,341 | 6,720 | 16,061 | |
| 1924 | D | 8,376 | 2,975 | 11,836 | |
| 1920 | D | 8,020 | 3,653 | 11,673 | |
| 1916 | D | 4,627 | 2,461 | 7,093 | |
| 1912 | D | 3,996 | 282 | 5,807 | |
| 1908 | D | 3,713 | 2,961 | 6,684 | |
| 1904 | D | 3,410 | 1,267 | 4,700 | |
| 1900 | D | 4,774 | 3,947 | 8,736 | |
| 1896 | D | 5,396 | 4,675 | 10,121 | |
| 1892 | D | 3,724 | 1,987 | 8,646 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Home to North Carolina's capital and a Research Triangle anchor, Wake County has shifted from a perennial swing county to a reliable Democratic stronghold, posting its largest presidential margin yet in 2024 as tech and university employment reshape its electorate.
The Democratic margin in Wake County has been steady. It reached its modern peak at seventy-eight points in 1936; the 2024 margin was twenty-five points, still in line with the county's long pattern.
Wake County's political identity is inseparable from its demographic profile: a 58% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $105,768, and the full diversity of a major metropolitan center. The county's voting pattern resembles other major urban centers most closely — Buncombe County and Mecklenburg County.