Chester is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Chester typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Chester, ~16% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Chester compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Chester leans more Republican than 102 of 152 neighbors.
Chester runs about 9 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Chester. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+60) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+43), a spread of about 17 points.
Why Chester 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 Chester, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Chester votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 43%, far above the West Virginia average of 12%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Chester, WV sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Chester looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Chester 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 58%, below 66% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lawrenceville, WV R+59
- Newell, WV R+54
- East Liverpool, OH R+40
- New Manchester, WV R+62
- Georgetown, PA R+52
- Wellsville, OH R+40
- Midland, PA D+9
- New Cumberland, WV R+54
- Stratton, OH R+54
Cities with Similar Populations
- North Hampton, NH D+7
- Valdez, AK R+33
- Lakehurst, NJ R+18
- Camden, NC R+47
- North Shore, LA D+22
- Clearlake Oaks, CA Even
- East Bernard, TX R+55
- Cape Charles, VA R+4
- New Haven, MO R+56
- Peach Bottom, PA R+59
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from West Virginia 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.