How Many People Voted in 2020? Turnout & Comparison

The 2020 election rewrote the record books. More Americans voted than in any previous presidential contest, and the turnout rate hit levels not seen in over a century.

Total votes in 2020: 158,429,595 ·
2020 voter turnout rate: 66.6% ·
Total votes in 2024: 155,507,476 ·
2024 voter turnout rate: 63.9% ·
Biden votes in 2020: 81,283,501

Six data points, one pattern: 2020 was a historic peak in turnout and total votes, while 2024 showed a slight retreat but remained the second-highest in a century.

Below is the key facts comparison across the three most recent presidential elections.

How many people voted in 2020?

Total votes cast in 2020

• 158,429,595 votes were cast for president in the 2020 general election, according to the Federal Election Commission (official U.S. election authority).
• This represented 62.80% of the voting-age population (VAP) of 252,274,000 (FEC).

Voter turnout rate in 2020

• The voter turnout rate expressed as a share of the voting-eligible population (VEP) was 66.6% (Ballotpedia).
• The Pew Research Center (nonpartisan research organization) reported a 66% turnout rate, the highest since 1908.

How many people voted in 2024?

Total votes cast in 2024

• Approximately 155.5 million votes were cast in the 2024 presidential election (U.S. Census Bureau (federal statistical agency)).
• The Census Bureau reported that 65.3% of the citizen voting-age population voted in 2024, which it described as about 154 million people (Census Bureau).

Voter turnout rate in 2024

• The turnout rate was approximately 63.9%, according to the Pew Research Center, which called it the second-highest in more than a century, tied with 1960.
• The Census Bureau’s 65.3% figure is based on citizen voting-age population and is not directly comparable to the 2020 Census figure because of different denominators (Census Bureau).

How many people voted in 2016?

Total votes cast in 2016

• 136.7 million votes were cast in the 2016 presidential election, according to the FEC (based on certified results).
• The turnout rate for 2016 was 60.1% of the voting-eligible population (Ballotpedia).

Comparison to 2020

• 2020 saw a 21% increase in total votes over 2016 — from 136.7 million to 158.4 million (Pew Research Center).
• The turnout rate jumped 6.5 percentage points from 2016 to 2020 (Ballotpedia).

The pattern: 2016 was a relatively low-turnout baseline; 2020’s surge represented a massive change in voting behavior, especially amid the pandemic and expanded mail voting.

How many people voted for Biden and Trump in 2020?

Biden’s total vote count

• Joe Biden received 81,283,501 votes in the 2020 presidential election, the most ever for a presidential candidate (FEC).

Trump’s total vote count

• Donald Trump received 74,223,975 votes (FEC).
• Together, Biden and Trump accounted for 98.1% of all votes cast for president in 2020 (Pew Research Center).

How did voter turnout compare across 2016, 2020, and 2024?

Turnout increase from 2016 to 2020

• 2020 saw a 21% increase in total votes over 2016 (Pew Research Center).
• Turnout rate rose from 60.1% (2016) to 66% (2020) (Ballotpedia).

Turnout decline from 2020 to 2024

• 2024 turnout dropped to about 63.9%, a decline of 2.7 percentage points from 2020 (Pew Research Center).
• 89% of 2020 Trump voters turned out again in 2024, compared to 85% of 2020 Biden voters (Pew Research Center).

Three elections, one pattern: 2020 stands as a massive outlier in turnout and total votes, while 2024 reverted toward a still-elevated normal.

The table below summarizes how each election compares in total votes, turnout rates, and winners.

The implication: 2020 remains an outlier; 2024 shows the difficulty of sustaining crisis-era turnout levels.

Timeline of voter turnout in recent U.S. elections

• 2016: 136.7 million votes, 60.1% turnout. Donald Trump defeats Hillary Clinton.
• 2020: 158.4 million votes, 66.6% turnout. Record turnout amid pandemic. Joe Biden wins.
• 2024: 155.5 million votes, 63.9% turnout. Turnout decline from 2020, but second-highest since 1900.

What we know and what remains unclear

Confirmed facts

• 158.4 million votes in 2020 — official FEC certified.
• 81.3 million votes for Biden; 74.2 million for Trump.
• 2020 turnout highest since 1900 (66.6%).
• 2024 turnout second-highest since 1900 (63.9%).

What’s unclear

• Exact count of 2024 votes pending final certification in several states.
• Impact of new voting laws on turnout is still being studied (Pew Research Center).

Expert perspectives

In the 2024 presidential election, a higher share of Donald Trump’s 2020 voters than Joe Biden’s 2020 voters turned out to vote.

— Pew Research Center (nonpartisan research organization)

The 2020 presidential election featured record turnout and record use of nontraditional voting methods.

— U.S. Census Bureau (federal statistical agency)

Summary: what 2020 turnout means for future elections

The 2020 election shattered expectations, but the 2024 decline suggests that sustaining that level of engagement is difficult. For campaigns and civic organizations, the task ahead is to understand why 3 million fewer people voted in 2024 than in 2020 — and whether the 2020 turnout was a pandemic-era anomaly or a new baseline. For voters, the choice is clearer: either turnout continues to hover near 64% or efforts to recapture 2020’s energy succeed. The data from the FEC, Census Bureau, and Pew Research Center provide the facts — now policymakers and voters must decide how to respond.

Related reading: Voting Rights Act of 1965: Summary and Impact · US Cities by Population 2025: Rankings, Density & Growth

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