Cherokee leans slightly Democratic by roughly 8 points: about 54% of voters vote Democratic and 46% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Cherokee typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cherokee, ~39% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Cherokee compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Cherokee leans more Democratic than 41 of 42 neighbors.
Cherokee runs about 11 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Cherokee. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+24) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+3), a spread of about 27 points.
Why Cherokee 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 Cherokee, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 34% of adults in Cherokee have never been married, above 84% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Cherokee, NC sits above the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Cherokee looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Cherokee 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 49%, about 11 points below the North Carolina average of 61%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Airport, NC D+24
- Whittier, NC R+34
- Ela, NC R+58
- Dillsboro, NC R+35
- Sylva, NC R+32
- Bryson City, NC R+48
- Webster, NC R+28
- Gay, NC R+38
- Balsam, NC R+27
Cities with Similar Populations
- Air Force Academy, CO R+12
- Lincoln Park, TX R+5
- DeLeon Springs, FL R+39
- Reserve, LA D+17
- South Salem, NY D+15
- Etowah, TN R+60
- Highland Heights, KY R+12
- Durand, MI R+30
- Tonopah, AZ R+50
- Linton, IN R+48
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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.