Barbour County is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Barbour County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Barbour County, ~13% vote Democratic, ~50% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Barbour County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Barbour County leans more Republican than 12 of 15 neighbors.
Barbour County runs about 18 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Barbour County. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+68) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+53), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Barbour 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 Barbour County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 13% of adults in Barbour County hold a bachelor's degree, about 15 points below the U.S. average of 28%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Barbour County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 9%, below 84% of counties).
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Barbour County, WV sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Barbour County looks the way it does
Turnout in Barbour County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Taylor County, WV R+55
- Upshur County, WV R+55
- Randolph County, WV R+51
- Tucker County, WV R+50
- Harrison County, WV R+41
- Lewis County, WV R+57
- Marion County, WV R+37
- Preston County, WV R+58
- Monongalia County, WV D+4
- Doddridge County, WV R+69
Counties with Similar Populations
- Moniteau County, MO R+60
- Brown County, IN R+43
- Clark County, IL R+53
- Floyd County, VA R+47
- Vermillion County, IN R+50
- Williamsburg City, VA D+43
- Redwood County, MN R+47
- De Witt County, IL R+43
- Washington County, AL R+46
- Pawnee County, OK R+59
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.