Buffalo is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 62% of adults in Buffalo typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Buffalo, ~12% vote Democratic, ~50% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Buffalo compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Buffalo leans more Republican than 45 of 63 neighbors.
Buffalo runs about 43 points more Republican than South Carolina as a whole.
Why Buffalo 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 Buffalo, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 14% of adults in Buffalo hold a bachelor's degree, about 9 points below the South Carolina average of 23%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Buffalo, SC 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 Buffalo looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Buffalo 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 30% of adults in Buffalo report food insecurity, above 95% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 76% of adults in Buffalo have completed high school, below 95% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Union, SC R+17
- West Springs, SC R+64
- Cross Keys, SC R+23
- Jonesville, SC R+46
- Lockhart Junction, SC R+53
- Monarch, SC R+18
- Kelly, SC R+37
- Sedalia, SC R+27
- Pauline, SC R+65
- South Hills, SC R+28
Cities with Similar Populations
- Santa Claus, IN R+40
- Flandreau, SD R+29
- Kinzers, PA R+53
- Manzanola, CO R+45
- Hoisington, KS R+61
- Hoxie, AR R+63
- Postville, IA R+33
- Montague, CA R+46
- Greenfield, TN R+70
- Freemansburg, PA D+16
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, 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.