Voter turnout in the presidential election reached 66.8 percent. Pennsylvania was decided by a margin of 80,555 votes while Georgia flipped on 11,779 votes. These narrow results in a handful of states determined the electoral outcome.
Key Takeaways
- Biden won Pennsylvania by 1.2 percentage points with 80,555 votes in 2020
- Biden campaign spent $1.59 billion in 2020 cycle
- 1960 turnout 63.1%, highest prior to 2020's 66.8%
- FiveThirtyEight final 2020 average: Biden 51.8% popular vote chance
- In the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, voter turnout among voters aged 18-29 was 55.4%, compared to 77.5% for those aged 65 and older
Voter turnout was strong overall, and the election outcome hinged on a narrow margin.
Related reading
01 · Category
Electoral Results28 stats
01
Biden won Pennsylvania by 1.2 percentage points with 80,555 votes in 2020
02
Trump secured 312 electoral votes in 2016, Hillary Clinton 227
03
In 2020, Georgia flipped to Biden with 11,779 vote margin
04
Arizona went to Biden by 10,457 votes in 2020, first Dem win since 1996
05
Wisconsin's 2020 margin for Biden was 20,682 votes or 0.63%
06
Michigan Biden win by 154,188 votes, 2.8% margin in 2020
07
Nevada Biden victory by 33,596 votes, 2.4%
08
Trump won Florida with 51.2% to Biden's 47.9% in 2020
09
Ohio went Trump 53.3-45.2% in 2020
10
Texas Trump 52.1-46.5% in 2020, margin 631,221 votes
11
North Carolina Trump 50.1-48.6%, 74,483 vote margin in 2020
12
Iowa Trump 53.1-44.9% in 2020
13
Biden swept New York with 60.9% in 2020
14
California Biden 63.5% in 2020
15
Trump won 25 states in 2020, Biden 25 plus DC
16
Swing states total electoral votes: 93 in 2020
17
Biden's popular vote: 81,283,501 (51.3%) vs Trump's 74,223,975 (46.8%) in 2020
18
2020 turnout 66.8% of voting-eligible population, highest since 1900
19
Trump flipped no states in 2020 but held 219 EVs from 2016 map
20
Biden improved on Clinton's 2016 performance in 58% of counties
21
Trump overperformed 2016 in 91% of counties in 2020
22
Alaska Trump 52.8-45.2% despite Biden push
23
Biden won Minnesota by 7.1%, holding blue wall state
24
New Hampshire Biden 52.7-45.4% in 2020
25
Trump's 2020 EV total: 232
26
Biden carried 477 counties in 2020 vs Clinton's 472 in 2016
27
Trump won Florida's Miami-Dade County for first time since 1988
28
Biden's national popular vote margin: 7,059,526 votes in 2020
Interpretation
Electoral Results Interpretation
These statistics reveal an American political landscape simultaneously cemented into near-parity at the electoral college level yet trembling under the weight of razor-thin margins in the decisive states that actually choose the president.
02 · Category
Financial Data27 stats
01
Biden campaign spent $1.59 billion in 2020 cycle
02
Trump campaign raised $1.08 billion, spent $1.07 billion in 2020
03
Super PACs supporting Biden raised $1.7 billion in 2020
04
Total 2020 presidential spending hit $14.4 billion, record high
05
Biden's top donor: Bloomberg donated $59 million via super PAC
06
Trump received $36.5 million from Timothy Mellon, largest individual donation
07
Democratic National Committee raised $822 million in 2020 cycle
08
RNC raised $839 million in 2020
09
Ad spending: Biden $1.5 billion on TV/digital ads, Trump $1.1 billion in 2020
10
Small donors (<$200) gave 59% of Biden's funds, $581 million total
11
Trump small donors contributed $936 million, 60% of his haul
12
Hollywood/actors industry donated $50 million+ to Biden in 2020
13
Oil & Gas sector gave $32 million to Trump-aligned groups
14
Unions contributed $200 million to Democrats in 2020 cycle
15
Facebook/Tech employees donated $40 million to Biden
16
Sheldon Adelson donated $218 million to GOP in 2020
17
Biden's ground game spending: $90 million on canvassing
18
Trump spent $300 million on rallies and events in 2020
19
Dark money groups spent $1 billion in 2020 presidential race
20
Average daily fundraising for Biden post-convention: $3.5 million
21
Trump victory fund raised $250 million post-election claims
22
Wall Street securities industry gave $100 million split evenly in 2020
23
Lawyers/law firms donated $130 million, 90% to Democrats
24
Retired individuals contributed $2.5 billion to 2020 presidential candidates
25
Biden's ActBlue small dollar platform processed $4.8 billion total 2020
26
WinRed for Trump raised $1.8 billion from small donors
27
National average ad price per GRP: $12in 2020 presidential battlegrounds
Interpretation
Financial Data Interpretation
The 2020 election proved that democracy is now a multi-billion dollar industry where you can spend your way to a victory, unless your opponent spends more.
03 · Category
Historical Trends20 stats
01
1960 turnout 63.1%, highest prior to 2020's 66.8%
02
2008 Obama election turnout 61.6% of VEP
03
2016 turnout dropped to 60.1%, lowest in 20 years
04
Average presidential turnout 1900-2020: 57.3%
05
Women's suffrage 1920: turnout 35.6%, rose to parity by 1980
06
Black turnout peaked at 66.6% in 2020, up from 59.6% 2016
07
Closest EV popular vote mismatch: 2000 Gore 48.4% lost 271-266 EVs
08
Multi-candidate races: 1912 Wilson 41.8% won plurality
09
Incumbents win rate: 75% since 1900 in presidential elections
10
Third-party peak: 27.4% Perot 1992
11
Voter turnout youth 18-29: avg 41% 1972-2016, 55% 2020 spike
12
Electoral College blowouts: Reagan 525 EVs 1984
13
Popular vote winners losing EC: 5 times (1824,1876,1888,2000,2016)
14
Campaign spending inflation-adjusted: 2020 $14B vs 1896 $15M equiv $500M
15
Polling accuracy improved: 3 pt avg error post-1948 vs 5 pre-WWII
16
Gender gap avg 10 pts since 1980, peaked 33 pts 1996
17
Regional realignments: South GOP shift post-1964 Civil Rights
18
Incumbent VP win rate: 3/6 since 1800 (Biden 2020 would be 4th)
19
Absentee voting surged: 0.04% 1960 to 43% 2020
20
Money primary predictor: candidate with most funds wins 90% races since 1972
Interpretation
Historical Trends Interpretation
The American voter, eternally courted yet often coy, demonstrates that while turnout can rise like a phoenix and marginalized groups can reach historic polls, the persistent power of money, the quirks of the Electoral College, and the fickle nature of regional loyalties ensure the democratic process remains a thrilling, expensive, and occasionally contradictory spectacle.
More related reading
04 · Category
Polling Data29 stats
01
FiveThirtyEight final 2020 average: Biden 51.8% popular vote chance
02
RCP national average Oct 2020: Biden +7.2 over Trump
03
Gallup final 2020 poll: Biden 52%, Trump 46%
04
PA final Monmouth poll: Biden 51-45% Oct 2020
05
GA AtlasIntel final poll: Trump 49-47% over Biden
06
National Quinnipiac Oct 2020: Biden 51-41%
07
MI final EPIC-MRA: Biden 45-42%
08
AZ final Fox poll: Biden 49-46%
09
WI final Marquette: Biden 51-45%
10
NV final Siena: Biden 50-44%
11
OH final Rasmussen: Trump 49-46%
12
FL final Quinnipiac: Biden 48-45%
13
NC final East Carolina: Trump 48-46%
14
National NYT/Siena final: Biden 50-42%
15
Betting markets PredictIt gave Biden 60% chance day before election
16
538 swing state forecast: Biden 89% PA win probability
17
Voter enthusiasm polls showed Dems +5 over GOP pre-election 2020
18
Late deciders broke 60-35% for Biden in 2020 exit polls
19
Undecided voters in final polls ~5-7% nationally
20
House effects: Trafalgar polls underestimated Trump by avg 3.5 pts 2020
21
Polling average error 2020: 4.0 pts nationally
22
538 state polling average accuracy: 90% within 3 pts
23
Youth vote polls overestimated Biden support by 5 pts
24
Latino polls missed Trump gains, overestimated Biden by 8 pts
25
RCP battleground average: Biden +3.5 PA
26
Final Economist/YouGov: Biden 52-44%
27
Gallup tracking average Oct: Biden +10
28
Biden's average lead peaked at 10.1 pts in June 2020 RCP
29
Voter turnout polls predicted 65%, actual 66.8%
Interpretation
Polling Data Interpretation
Despite an onslaught of polls consistently signaling a Biden victory, the surprisingly narrow margins in key states revealed a deeply polarized nation that the final averages couldn't fully capture.
05 · Category
Voter Demographics30 stats
01
In the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, voter turnout among voters aged 18-29 was 55.4%, compared to 77.5% for those aged 65 and older
02
White voters made up 67% of the electorate in 2020, down from 72% in 2016, with their support for Trump at 58%
03
Black voters comprised 12% of the 2020 electorate, with 87% voting for Biden
04
Hispanic voters increased to 13% of the electorate in 2020 from 11% in 2016, supporting Biden at 65%
05
Women were 53% of voters in 2020, with 57% supporting Biden versus 42% for Trump
06
College-educated voters favored Biden 62-37% in 2020, while non-college whites favored Trump 67-32%
07
Rural voters supported Trump 65-33% in 2020, compared to urban voters who backed Biden 59-39%
08
In 2020, 71% of voters with postgraduate degrees voted for Biden
09
Asian American voters were 3% of the 2020 electorate, with 61% supporting Biden
10
Union household voters supported Biden 59-39% in 2020
11
Evangelical white Protestants voted 76% for Trump in 2020, making up 19% of voters
12
Voters aged 45-64 had a turnout of 67.8% in 2020
13
In 2020, 55% of Latino men voted for Biden, down from higher margins in prior elections
14
Suburban voters split 50-49% for Biden over Trump in 2020
15
First-time voters in 2020 favored Biden 60-36%
16
In 2020, voters without a college degree were 62% of the electorate
17
Married women voted 52% for Trump in 2020
18
Unmarried women supported Biden 68-31% in 2020
19
Voters earning over $100,000backed Trump 53-45% in 2020
20
Low-income voters under $50,000supported Biden 57-41% in 2020
21
In 2020, 66% of mail-in voters chose Biden, versus 33% Trump
22
Independents voted 54% for Biden in 2020
23
Democrats were 37% of voters, Republicans 35%, others 28% in 2020
24
White evangelicals were 20% of 2020 voters, 81% for Trump
25
In 2020, turnout among 18-24 year olds reached 51.4%, highest since 1992
26
Native American voters in key states like AZ had turnout over 70% in 2020
27
LGBTQ+ voters supported Biden at 85% in 2020 exit polls
28
Veterans voted 60% for Trump in 2020
29
Homeowners favored Trump 54-44% in 2020
30
Renters backed Biden 61-37% in 2020
Interpretation
Voter Demographics Interpretation
The American electorate in 2020 painted a portrait of two nations, cleaved less by geography than by age, education, and identity, as the older, whiter, and more rural coalition of Trump strained against the rising tide of a younger, more diverse, and urbanized Biden majority.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Nathan Caldwell. (2026, February 13). Presidential Election Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/presidential-election-statistics
MLA
Nathan Caldwell. "Presidential Election Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/presidential-election-statistics.
Chicago
Nathan Caldwell. 2026. "Presidential Election Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/presidential-election-statistics.
Sources & references
55 datasets cited across this report