Bethel is a Republican stronghold. About 17% of voters here vote Democratic and 83% Republican.
About 85% of adults in Bethel typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bethel, ~15% vote Democratic, ~70% Republican, and ~15% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bethel compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Bethel leans more Republican than 70 of 100 neighbors.
Bethel runs about 95 points more Republican than Maryland as a whole. Maryland leans Democratic overall, while Bethel is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Bethel 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 Bethel, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Bethel live in densely developed areas, about 39 points below the Maryland average of 43%. Bethel runs against the grain of Maryland, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Bethel, MD sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Bethel looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 90% of households in Bethel own their home, about 13 points above the Maryland average of 77%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Bloomington, MD R+65
- West Vindex, MD R+67
- Luke, MD R+51
- Swanton, MD R+39
- North Glade, MD R+47
- Piedmont, WV R+61
- Kitzmiller, MD R+67
- Westernport, MD R+55
- Elk Garden, WV R+70
- Wilson, MD R+49
Cities with Similar Populations
- Agar, SD R+68
- Upper Poplar, NC R+74
- Ironville, NY R+37
- Inverness, MT R+54
- Lola, NC R+54
- Langley, AR R+83
- Garland, MO R+65
- Nielsville, MN R+56
- Weller, IA R+48
- New Hartford, MO R+72
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Maryland 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.