Kinston, NC, North Carolina: Republican loyalist metro. In 2024, voted R+7%. Democratic peak: D+89 in 1936.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+7MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Republican loyalistAkashic typology
- Population
- 54,9192024 5-year
- Median household income
- $45,1432024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 49.5%2024 5-year
- Black
- 39.3%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 8.8%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+89 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+49 in 1972MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for Kinston, NC, NCOne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 12,700 | 14,564 | 27,503 | ||
| R | 13,605 | 14,590 | 28,409 | ||
| R | 12,634 | 13,613 | 26,807 | ||
| R | 13,948 | 13,980 | 28,086 | ||
| R | 13,378 | 13,401 | 26,897 | ||
| R | 10,207 | 12,939 | 23,179 | ||
| D | 11,512 | 9,527 | 21,163 | ||
| R | 8,635 | 9,433 | 18,925 | ||
| R | 8,793 | 8,932 | 19,842 | ||
| R | 7,649 | 10,669 | 18,353 | ||
| R | 8,556 | 13,321 | 21,914 | ||
| R | 7,546 | 9,832 | 17,714 | ||
| R | 7,650 | 7,715 | 15,474 | ||
| R | 3,672 | 11,065 | 14,975 | ||
| O | 3,853 | 3,844 | 15,733 | ||
| D | 7,617 | 5,617 | 13,234 | ||
| D | 8,126 | 3,658 | 11,784 | ||
| D | 6,847 | 2,564 | 9,411 | ||
| D | 6,723 | 2,233 | 8,956 | ||
| D | 5,445 | 515 | 6,150 | ||
| D | 5,253 | 554 | 5,807 | ||
| D | 6,247 | 440 | 6,687 | ||
| D | 5,854 | 351 | 6,205 | ||
| D | 4,677 | 350 | 5,051 | ||
| D | 2,363 | 1,311 | 3,674 | ||
| D | 2,191 | 514 | 2,730 | ||
| D | 2,560 | 1,153 | 3,713 | ||
| D | 1,666 | 667 | 2,335 | ||
| D | 1,568 | 122 | 2,037 | ||
| D | 1,393 | 966 | 2,362 | ||
| D | 1,386 | 674 | 2,061 | ||
| D | 1,942 | 1,224 | 3,166 | ||
| D | 1,966 | 1,410 | 3,378 | ||
| D | 1,388 | 957 | 2,800 | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
12.3%
American
8.4%
Irish
5.5%
German
5.0%
Scottish
1.1%
Italian
0.8%
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: 41.9 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
$45,143
Kinston, NC ranks near the middle of US counties.
Kinston, NC$45,143
North Carolina$72,388
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
22.0%
Children face higher poverty than working-age adults.
Children under 1830.3%
Working age (18–64)19.6%
Seniors (65+)18.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
91.7%
speak English only
Spanish7.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.6%
Other Indo-European0.2%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 45.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Kinston anchors a historically Democratic tobacco-farming corridor that has shifted sharply toward Republicans over the past two decades, mirroring broader rural realignment patterns across eastern North Carolina's Black Belt counties.
The Republican margin in Kinston, NC reached its widest at forty-nine points in 1972. The margin in 2024 was seven points, in line with the metro's deep historical pattern.
Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $45,143, a 50% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 54,919 together describe a metro whose political habits are deeply settled.
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Kinston, NC, North Carolina — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/cbsa/28820/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Kinston, NC, North Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Kinston, NC, North Carolina voted Republican by 6.8 points (R+7), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 27,503 votes cast, 12,700 went Democratic and 14,564 went Republican.
What is Kinston, NC, North Carolina's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Kinston, NC, North Carolina as a "Republican loyalist" metro based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 20 times, Republican 13 times, and other 1 times.
When did Kinston, NC, North Carolina last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Kinston, NC, North Carolina voted Democratic was 2000.
How many people live in Kinston, NC, North Carolina?
Kinston, NC, North Carolina has a population of 54,919 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Kinston, NC, North Carolina?
Median household income in Kinston, NC, North Carolina is $45,143 — below the national median of $80,734. The North Carolina state median is $72,388.
What is the political history of Kinston, NC, North Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Kinston, NC, North Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 20 went Democratic and 13 went Republican. The metro's archetype — "Republican loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.