Cary leans Democratic by roughly 26 points: about 63% of voters vote Democratic and 37% Republican.
About 84% of adults in Cary typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cary, ~53% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Cary compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Cary leans more Democratic than 31 of 37 neighbors.
Cary runs about 30 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Cary is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Cary. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+37) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+22), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Cary 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 Cary, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 70% of adults in Cary hold a bachelor's degree, about 42 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Cary sits in the top fifth on density (about 83%, above 95% of cities). Cary runs against the grain of North Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Cary, NC sits in the top 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 Cary looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Cary 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Cary have completed high school, above 85% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Morrisville, NC D+37
- Apex, NC D+15
- Holly Springs, NC D+7
- New Hill, NC D+4
- Raleigh, NC D+18
- Hollemans Crossroads, NC R+22
- Pine Hurst Park, NC D+12
- Durham, NC D+59
- Fuquay-Varina, NC R+4
- Fearrington, NC R+8
Cities with Similar Populations
- Midland, TX R+46
- Overland Park, KS D+17
- Macon, GA D+30
- Hayward, CA D+38
- Topeka, KS D+8
- Canton, OH R+4
- Humble, TX Even
- Conroe, TX R+29
- Paterson, NJ D+28
- Naperville, IL D+21
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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.