State College, PA, Pennsylvania: Bellwether metro. In 2024, voted D+3%. Republican peak: R+55 in 1928.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+3MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- BellwetherAkashic typology
- Population
- 158,5762024 5-year
- Median household income
- $74,2912024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 83.9%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.3%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.7%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+27 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+55 in 1928MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State College, PA, PAOne 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 | 41,119 | 38,829 | 81,153 | ||
| D | 40,055 | 36,372 | 77,493 | ||
| D | 37,088 | 35,274 | 77,307 | ||
| D | 34,176 | 34,001 | 69,886 | ||
| D | 41,950 | 32,992 | 75,763 | ||
| R | 30,733 | 33,133 | 64,374 | ||
| R | 21,409 | 26,172 | 49,575 | ||
| D | 21,145 | 20,935 | 46,826 | ||
| D | 21,177 | 20,478 | 51,225 | ||
| R | 18,357 | 23,875 | 42,527 | ||
| R | 16,194 | 27,802 | 44,236 | ||
| R | 15,987 | 20,605 | 42,631 | ||
| R | 17,867 | 21,177 | 40,437 | ||
| R | 13,194 | 20,683 | 34,197 | ||
| R | 11,163 | 15,865 | 28,527 | ||
| D | 16,556 | 9,481 | 26,195 | ||
| R | 8,601 | 18,357 | 27,004 | ||
| R | 7,483 | 15,412 | 22,940 | ||
| R | 7,391 | 14,700 | 22,168 | ||
| R | 6,515 | 10,416 | 16,931 | ||
| R | 8,064 | 10,048 | 18,242 | ||
| R | 9,869 | 10,665 | 20,610 | ||
| D | 11,734 | 9,869 | 21,814 | ||
| R | 7,053 | 8,264 | 15,726 | ||
| R | 3,431 | 12,005 | 15,557 | ||
| R | 4,443 | 7,723 | 13,062 | ||
| R | 4,783 | 7,615 | 13,171 | ||
| R | 4,120 | 4,392 | 8,781 | ||
| D | 3,445 | 1,507 | 7,926 | ||
| R | 3,998 | 4,927 | 9,276 | ||
| R | 4,015 | 5,291 | 9,589 | ||
| R | 4,339 | 4,684 | 9,249 | ||
| R | 4,546 | 4,880 | 9,774 | ||
| D | 4,624 | 3,698 | 8,656 | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
25.0%
Irish
14.1%
English
11.3%
Italian
9.1%
American
5.6%
Polish
4.9%
Scottish
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: 34.2 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
$74,291
State College, PA ranks near the middle of US counties.
State College, PA$74,291
Pennsylvania$77,971
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
16.3%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 189.9%
Working age (18–64)18.6%
Seniors (65+)7.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
87.6%
speak English only
Other Indo-European5.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander4.0%
Spanish2.3%
Other languages1.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 66.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
The State College metro swings younger and more educated than most of rural central Pennsylvania, driven by a university population that inflates registration numbers but depresses midterm turnout relative to presidential cycles.
The Democratic margin in State College, PA has rarely exceeded twenty-seven points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded fifty-five points. 2024 delivered the metro to the Democratic candidate by three points.
Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most metros. A 84% non-Hispanic-white share, a 16% poverty rate, and a median household income of $74,291 — all within the broad national range.
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
State College, PA, Pennsylvania — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/cbsa/44300/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State College, PA, Pennsylvania vote in 2024?
In 2024, State College, PA, Pennsylvania voted Democratic by 2.8 points (D+3), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 81,153 votes cast, 41,119 went Democratic and 38,829 went Republican.
What is State College, PA, Pennsylvania's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State College, PA, Pennsylvania as a "Bellwether" metro based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 11 times, Republican 23 times, and other 0 times.
When did State College, PA, Pennsylvania last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which State College, PA, Pennsylvania voted Republican was 2004.
How many people live in State College, PA, Pennsylvania?
State College, PA, Pennsylvania has a population of 158,576 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State College, PA, Pennsylvania?
Median household income in State College, PA, Pennsylvania is $74,291 — below the national median of $80,734. The Pennsylvania state median is $77,971.
What is the political history of State College, PA, Pennsylvania?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State College, PA, Pennsylvania from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 11 went Democratic and 23 went Republican. The metro's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.