Carrboro is a Democratic stronghold. About 84% of voters here vote Democratic and 16% Republican.
About 82% of adults in Carrboro typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Carrboro, ~69% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~18% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Carrboro compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Carrboro is the most Democratic-leaning.
Carrboro runs about 72 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Carrboro is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Carrboro. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+76) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+53), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Carrboro 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 Carrboro, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 69% of adults in Carrboro hold a bachelor's degree, about 41 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Carrboro sits in the top fifth on density (about 74%, above 93% of cities). Carrboro runs against the grain of North Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Carrboro, NC sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Carrboro looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Carrboro 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Chapel Hill, NC D+43
- Orange Grove, NC Even
- Bynum, NC D+11
- Hillsborough, NC D+28
- Durham, NC D+59
- Pittsboro, NC Even
- Saxapahaw, NC R+32
- Fearrington, NC R+8
- Efland, NC Even
- Schley, NC D+22
Cities with Similar Populations
- Sunny Isles Beach, FL R+25
- Anacortes, WA D+21
- Westbrook, ME D+17
- Wantagh, NY R+28
- Talladega, AL Even
- Lynbrook, NY R+6
- Pleasantville, NJ D+46
- Johns Island, SC R+6
- Nederland, TX R+38
- Perry, GA R+16
All Local Stats
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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.