Clarendon County leans slightly Republican by roughly 8 points: about 46% of voters vote Democratic and 54% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Clarendon County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Clarendon County, ~31% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Clarendon County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Clarendon County leans more Republican than 5 of 10 neighbors.
Clarendon County runs about 10 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Clarendon County. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+40) and the south side runs the most Republican (R+45), a spread of about 85 points.
Why Clarendon County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Clarendon County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 82% of residents in Clarendon County drive to work alone, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Clarendon County, SC sits in the bottom 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 Clarendon County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Clarendon County 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 Counties
- Sumter County, SC D+9
- Williamsburg County, SC D+26
- Lee County, SC D+20
- Calhoun County, SC R+15
- Orangeburg County, SC D+28
- Florence County, SC Even
- Berkeley County, SC R+13
- Darlington County, SC R+8
- Kershaw County, SC R+32
- Dorchester County, SC R+12
Counties with Similar Populations
- Lake County, MT R+21
- Pontotoc County, MS R+65
- Polk County, MN R+31
- Washington County, ME R+24
- Delta County, CO R+35
- Adams County, NE R+42
- Stone County, MO R+55
- Summit County, CO D+23
- Bee County, TX R+22
- Titus County, TX R+40
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, 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.