Cape Carteret leans heavily Republican by roughly 40 points: about 30% of voters vote Democratic and 70% Republican.
About 91% of adults in Cape Carteret typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cape Carteret, ~27% vote Democratic, ~64% Republican, and ~9% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Cape Carteret compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Cape Carteret leans more Republican than 23 of 34 neighbors.
Cape Carteret runs about 36 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Why Cape Carteret 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 Cape Carteret, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 87% of residents in Cape Carteret drive to work alone, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 76% of households in Cape Carteret are family households, above 78% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Cape Carteret, NC sits in the top 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 Cape Carteret looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Cape Carteret 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Bogue, NC R+41
- Cedar Point, NC R+42
- Emerald Isle, NC R+30
- Peletier, NC R+51
- Swansboro, NC R+45
- Stella, NC R+45
- Hubert, NC R+42
- Salter Path, NC R+26
- Indian Beach, NC R+26
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bethany, LA R+52
- Talkeetna, AK R+39
- Hardwick, VT R+19
- Oak Hill, NC R+40
- Pilot Rock, OR R+51
- Raymond, MN R+59
- Cornersville, TN R+65
- Grayville, IL R+68
- Potosi, WI R+37
- Randall, MN R+57
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.