Appalachia is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Appalachia typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Appalachia, ~11% vote Democratic, ~45% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Appalachia compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Appalachia leans more Republican than 14 of 116 neighbors.
Appalachia runs about 68 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Appalachia is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Appalachia 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 Appalachia, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 4% of residents in Appalachia live in densely developed areas, about 21 points below the Virginia average of 26%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Appalachia sits in the bottom quarter (about 14%, below 80% of cities). Appalachia runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Appalachia, VA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Appalachia looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Appalachia is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 25% of adults in Appalachia report food insecurity, above 90% of cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Appalachia sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Big Stone Gap, VA R+44
- Exeter, VA R+63
- Irondale, VA R+68
- Oreton, VA R+63
- Lynch, KY R+56
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lake, MS R+31
- Atlanta, IL R+48
- Iron River, WI R+12
- Orleans, MI R+45
- Independence, WV R+37
- Gore, OK R+63
- Dresden, ME R+5
- Todd, NC R+31
- Warrens, WI R+42
- Eddington, ME R+17
All Local Stats
Home Services
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department 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.