Cayton is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 56% of adults in Cayton typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cayton, ~12% vote Democratic, ~44% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Cayton compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Cayton leans more Republican than 53 of 66 neighbors.
Cayton runs about 52 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Cayton. The south side is the most Republican-leaning (R+66) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+37), a spread of about 29 points.
Why Cayton 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 Cayton, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 8% of adults in Cayton hold a bachelor's degree, about 19 points below the North Carolina average of 27%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Cayton sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 4%, below 82% of cities).
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Cayton, NC sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Cayton looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Cayton is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Ernul, NC R+50
- Small, NC R+28
- Olympia, NC R+61
- Edward, NC R+20
- Forest, NC R+58
- Bridgeton, NC R+44
- Reelsboro, NC R+58
- Vanceboro, NC R+33
- McConnell, NC R+28
Cities with Similar Populations
- Hebron, WV R+68
- Trout Lake, MI R+35
- Waverly Woods, IN R+56
- Milo, OK R+37
- Westville, NY R+9
- Wethersfield Springs, NY R+50
- Worlds, VA R+59
- Lowden, WA R+55
- Nottingham Woods, IL R+21
- Llano, NM D+48
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.