28742 leans Republican by roughly 18 points: about 41% of voters vote Democratic and 59% Republican.
About more than 99% of adults in 28742 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 28742, ~41% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~0% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 28742 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 28742 leans more Republican than 10 of 16 neighbors.
28742 runs about 15 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 28742. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+22) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+12), a spread of about 10 points.
Why 28742 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 28742, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 74% of households in 28742 are family households, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with homeowner-heavy households tend to turn out at a higher rate; 28742, NC sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in 28742 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 28742 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 88% of households in 28742 own their home, above 81% of zip codes. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in 28742 have completed high school, above 81% 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 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.