Alderson leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 57% of adults in Alderson typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Alderson, ~15% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Alderson compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Alderson leans more Republican than 5 of 113 neighbors.
Alderson runs about 4 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Alderson. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+55) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+37), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Alderson leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Alderson, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Alderson votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 28%, well above the West Virginia average of 12%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Alderson sits in the bottom quarter (about 14%, below 81% of cities).
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Alderson, WV does.
Why turnout in Alderson looks the way it does
Areas with low high-school completion turn out at lower rates. About 79% of adults in Alderson have completed high school, about 11 points below the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Glenray, WV R+51
- Clayton, WV R+52
- Judson, WV R+60
- Snowflake, WV R+58
- Pence Springs, WV R+52
- Tempa, WV R+55
- Creamery, WV R+55
- Blue Sulphur Springs, WV R+61
- Talcott, WV R+55
- Asbury, WV R+60
Cities with Similar Populations
- Okawville, IL R+55
- South Floral Park, NY D+53
- Canadensis, PA R+20
- Wisner, LA R+12
- Smoaks, SC Even
- West Coxsackie, NY R+26
- Tarkio, MO R+52
- Leicester, NY R+29
- Luthersville, GA R+39
- Warsaw, IL R+44
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.