Beaufort County leans Republican by roughly 24 points: about 38% of voters vote Democratic and 62% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Beaufort County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Beaufort County, ~30% vote Democratic, ~50% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Beaufort County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Beaufort County leans more Republican than 10 of 13 neighbors.
Beaufort County runs about 20 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Beaufort County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+44) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+5), a spread of about 39 points.
Why Beaufort 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 Beaufort County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 82% of residents in Beaufort County drive to work alone, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Cholesterol-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high cholesterol-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Beaufort County, NC sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cholesterol screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Beaufort County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Beaufort 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 60%, modestly above similar-sized counties (around 54%). Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Martin County, NC R+4
- Pitt County, NC D+17
- Washington County, NC D+7
- Pamlico County, NC R+37
- Craven County, NC R+15
- Bertie County, NC D+19
- Greene County, NC R+15
- Jones County, NC R+24
- Lenoir County, NC Even
- Hyde County, NC R+25
Counties with Similar Populations
- Phelps County, MO R+33
- Stephenson County, IL R+14
- Warren County, MS D+6
- McDowell County, NC R+50
- Bryan County, GA R+35
- Stokes County, NC R+57
- Henderson County, KY R+33
- Jefferson County, PA R+55
- Barren County, KY R+50
- Wood County, TX R+68
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Carolina State Board 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.