Aiken County leans Republican by roughly 24 points: about 38% of voters vote Democratic and 62% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Aiken County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Aiken County, ~28% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Aiken County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Aiken County leans more Republican than 10 of 13 neighbors.
Aiken County runs about 7 points more Republican than South Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Aiken County. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+12) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+38), a spread of about 51 points.
Why Aiken County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Aiken County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Aiken County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 47%, well above the South Carolina average of 24%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Cholesterol-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high cholesterol-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Aiken County, SC sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cholesterol screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Aiken County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Aiken County 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 61%, above 56% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Edgefield County, SC R+23
- Richmond County, GA D+41
- Columbia County, GA R+21
- Barnwell County, SC R+13
- Saluda County, SC R+34
- Burke County, GA R+7
- McCormick County, SC R+5
- McDuffie County, GA R+14
- Lincoln County, GA R+37
- Lexington County, SC R+30
Counties with Similar Populations
- Davidson County, NC R+36
- Paulding County, GA R+20
- Kenton County, KY R+14
- Kenosha County, WI Even
- Wyandotte County, KS D+26
- Monroe County, PA Even
- Chittenden County, VT D+35
- Beaver County, PA R+19
- Pueblo County, CO Even
- Greene County, OH R+17
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, 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.