Alpena is a Republican stronghold. About 16% of voters here vote Democratic and 84% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Alpena typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Alpena, ~12% vote Democratic, ~64% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Alpena compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Alpena leans more Republican than 76 of 90 neighbors.
Alpena runs about 26 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Why Alpena 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 Alpena, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 2% of residents in Alpena live in densely developed areas, about 9 points below the West Virginia average of 12%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Alpena sits in the bottom quarter (about 14%, below 83% of cities). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 77% of households in Alpena are family households, above 82% of cities.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Alpena, WV sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Alpena looks the way it does
Turnout in Alpena sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Bowden, WV R+62
- Sully, WV R+66
- Wymer, WV R+66
- Canfield, WV R+61
- Harman, WV R+67
- Bemis, WV R+63
- Glenmore, WV R+50
- Harpertown, WV R+56
- Whitmer, WV R+65
- Porterwood, WV R+62
Cities with Similar Populations
- Truxton, AZ R+14
- Stony Bottom, WV R+49
- Imlay, SD Even
- Cloyds Landing, KY R+68
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.