akashic
1876–2024
Taylor County, Texas
Taylor County·Texas

Taylor County changed its political identity.

Abilene anchors a West Texas county that votes reliably deep-red

18762024·38 elections
Taylor County, Texas · Larry D. Moore · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+50
in 2024
Archetype
Realigner
since the recent cycles
Population
145,863
2024 ACS
Most similar
Smith County
TX · similarity 1.00
34 precincts · 55,417 votes cast
Trump · R+50
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−49.8%
13,62441,19855,417
2020R
−45.2%
14,58839,54755,233
2016R
−50.6%
10,08533,25045,759
2012R
−53.5%
9,75032,90443,263
2008R
−45.6%
12,69034,31747,439
2004R
−55.2%
10,64837,19748,099
2000R
−49.3%
10,50431,70143,020
1996R
−26.2%
13,21323,68240,021
1992R
−22.5%
12,38222,61445,454
1988R
−36.9%
13,07328,56342,024
1984R
−56.1%
9,62834,44444,202
1980R
−26.2%
13,24522,96137,032
1976R
−15.5%
14,45319,82234,543
1972R
−57.1%
6,02422,41728,731
1968R
−12.1%
9,10712,21825,626
1964D
+18.3%
13,3669,22022,620
1960R
−13.4%
9,34712,25821,650
1956R
−13.8%
7,1779,48816,699
1952R
−12.7%
7,93610,26018,251
1948D
+62.9%
8,1841,65810,373
1944D
+75.7%
7,9756029,742
1940D
+77.6%
7,8529838,850
1936D
+79.6%
6,1696786,898
1932D
+78.1%
5,2356395,885
1928R
−36.3%
1,8914,0505,950
1924D
+74.2%
3,1574413,660
1920D
+66.9%
1,9323002,438
1916D
+84.8%
2,1341202,374
1912D
+78.6%
1,536591,880
1908
No data
1904
No data
1900
No data
1896
No data
1892
No data
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%
African American
6.5%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
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
26.7%
Other Christian
19.1%
Catholic & Orthodox
7.6%
Methodist
4.4%
Mainline Protestant
3.0%
Pentecostal & Holiness
1.8%
Non-Christian
0.1%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 37.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Taylor County's presidential margins have exceeded R+45 in each of the last four cycles, driven by a population concentrated in Abilene — a mid-sized city whose military and energy-sector workforce tilts heavily Republican.

The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Taylor County peaked at eighty-five points in 1916; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1968 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of twelve points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.

The economic and demographic context is severe. Taylor County's median household income of $67,139 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Smith County and Potter County.