26206 is a Republican stronghold. About 15% of voters here vote Democratic and 85% Republican.
About 56% of adults in 26206 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 26206, ~9% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 26206 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 26206 leans more Republican than 11 of 13 neighbors.
26206 runs about 28 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 26206. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+73) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+63), a spread of about 10 points.
Why 26206 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 26206, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 11% of adults in 26206 hold a bachelor's degree, about 6 points below the West Virginia average of 17%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 84% of residents in 26206 drive to work alone, above 84% of zip codes.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; 26206, WV sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in 26206 looks the way it does
High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, mostly because the housing stress common in those areas makes voting harder. 26206 sits in the top 15% nationally on a violent-crime measure. See CrimeGrade for more details. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and 26206 sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 81% of adults in 26206 have completed high school, below 89% of zip codes. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from West Virginia Secretary of State, Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.