Ithaca, NY, New York: Realigner metro. In 2024, voted D+50%. Republican peak: R+57 in 1956.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+50MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- RealignerAkashic typology
- Population
- 104,5372024 5-year
- Median household income
- $74,0242024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 75.2%2024 5-year
- Black
- 4.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 6.6%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+50 in 2024MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+57 in 1956MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for Ithaca, NY, NYOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 34,631 | 11,354 | 46,902 | ||
| D | 33,619 | 11,096 | 45,735 | ||
| D | 28,890 | 10,371 | 42,678 | ||
| D | 27,244 | 11,107 | 39,781 | ||
| D | 29,826 | 11,927 | 42,552 | ||
| D | 27,229 | 13,994 | 42,421 | ||
| D | 21,807 | 13,351 | 40,060 | ||
| D | 20,772 | 11,532 | 37,124 | ||
| D | 23,197 | 11,520 | 41,660 | ||
| D | 21,455 | 14,932 | 36,699 | ||
| D | 19,357 | 18,255 | 37,777 | ||
| R | 11,970 | 12,448 | 29,668 | ||
| R | 12,808 | 15,463 | 28,671 | ||
| R | 12,344 | 17,605 | 30,011 | ||
| R | 10,343 | 13,446 | 25,248 | ||
| D | 16,103 | 9,070 | 25,202 | ||
| R | 8,659 | 17,061 | 25,733 | ||
| R | 5,475 | 19,749 | 25,224 | ||
| R | 6,285 | 18,673 | 25,019 | ||
| R | 5,721 | 13,719 | 20,444 | ||
| R | 7,174 | 12,805 | 20,053 | ||
| R | 7,118 | 14,325 | 21,693 | ||
| R | 7,007 | 13,332 | 20,746 | ||
| R | 6,180 | 12,185 | 18,916 | ||
| R | 5,114 | 14,471 | 19,866 | ||
| R | 3,701 | 11,766 | 16,123 | ||
| R | 3,487 | 9,508 | 13,573 | ||
| R | 3,455 | 4,736 | 8,638 | ||
| D | 3,272 | 2,237 | 8,103 | ||
| R | 3,734 | 5,090 | 9,232 | ||
| R | 3,780 | 5,414 | 9,615 | ||
| R | 3,852 | 5,409 | 9,696 | ||
| R | 3,506 | 5,342 | 9,200 | ||
| R | 3,404 | 4,717 | 8,813 | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
13.6%
Irish
12.6%
German
12.2%
Italian
7.4%
American
3.6%
Polish
3.3%
French
2.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 32.3 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$74,024
Ithaca, NY ranks near the middle of US counties.
Ithaca, NY$74,024
New York$85,974
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
16.4%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1811.0%
Working age (18–64)18.4%
Seniors (65+)6.9%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
82.6%
speak English only
Other Indo-European6.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander6.1%
Spanish4.0%
Other languages1.0%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 70.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Home to Cornell University and Ithaca College, this small upstate metro returns presidential margins that rank among the most lopsided in the country, driven by a student and faculty population that dominates the local electorate.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Ithaca, NY peaked at fifty points in 2024; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1984 election delivered the metro to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of three points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. The median household income of $74,024 is among the lowest at this geographic scale; 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line.
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Ithaca, NY, New York — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/cbsa/27060/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Ithaca, NY, New York vote in 2024?
In 2024, Ithaca, NY, New York voted Democratic by 49.6 points (D+50), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 46,902 votes cast, 34,631 went Democratic and 11,354 went Republican.
What is Ithaca, NY, New York's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Ithaca, NY, New York as a "Realigner" metro based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 13 times, Republican 21 times, and other 0 times.
When did Ithaca, NY, New York last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Ithaca, NY, New York voted Republican was 1980.
How many people live in Ithaca, NY, New York?
Ithaca, NY, New York has a population of 104,537 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Ithaca, NY, New York?
Median household income in Ithaca, NY, New York is $74,024 — below the national median of $80,734. The New York state median is $85,974.
What is the political history of Ithaca, NY, New York?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Ithaca, NY, New York from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 13 went Democratic and 21 went Republican. The metro's archetype — "Realigner" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.