Charleston leans slightly Republican by roughly 6 points: about 47% of voters vote Democratic and 53% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Charleston typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Charleston, ~33% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Charleston compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Charleston leans more Republican than 8 of 65 neighbors.
Charleston runs about 12 points more Democratic than Missouri as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Charleston. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+44) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+41), a spread of about 86 points.
Why Charleston 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 Charleston, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 13% of adults in Charleston hold a bachelor's degree, about 9 points below the Missouri average of 22%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Charleston, MO sits in the top quarter 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 Charleston looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Charleston is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 45%, about 13 points below the Missouri average of 57%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Diehlstadt, MO R+65
- Bertrand, MO R+55
- Samos, MO R+52
- Anniston, MO R+69
- Lusk, MO R+61
- Wyatt, MO R+42
- East Prairie, MO R+56
- Miner, MO R+55
- Whiting, MO R+69
- Blodgett, MO R+71
Cities with Similar Populations
- Ridgeway, SC R+20
- Angola, NY R+17
- Mickleton, NJ R+16
- Wyoming, PA R+16
- Daytona Beach Shores, FL R+18
- Roslyn, NY D+7
- Westover, MD R+4
- Wellsville, UT R+56
- Weaver, AL R+54
- Huntsville, AR R+59
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Missouri Secretary of State, 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.