27517 leans heavily Democratic by roughly 42 points: about 71% of voters vote Democratic and 29% Republican.
About 91% of adults in 27517 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 27517, ~65% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~9% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 27517 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 27517 leans more Democratic than 9 of 20 neighbors.
27517 runs about 46 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while 27517 is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 27517. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+61) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+2), a spread of about 58 points.
Why 27517 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 27517, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 74% of adults in 27517 hold a bachelor's degree, about 46 points above the U.S. average of 28%. 27517 runs against the grain of North Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; 27517, NC sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in 27517 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 27517 is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 74%, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 60%. 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 North Carolina State Board of 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.