Clayton leans Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.
About 46% of adults in Clayton typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Clayton, ~30% vote Democratic, ~16% Republican, and ~54% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Clayton compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Clayton leans more Democratic than 43 of 49 neighbors.
Clayton runs about 60 points more Democratic than Alabama as a whole. Alabama leans Republican overall, while Clayton is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Clayton. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+45) and the south side runs the most Republican (R+39), a spread of about 84 points.
Why Clayton 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 Clayton, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural, majority-Black areas of the Southern Black Belt vote Democratic, against the usual rural pattern. About 57% of residents in Clayton are Black or African American, about 34 points above the Alabama average of 24%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 40% of adults in Clayton have never been married, above 94% of cities. Clayton runs against the grain of Alabama, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a high uninsured rate tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Clayton, AL does.
Why turnout in Clayton looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Clayton 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 44%, about 10 points below the Alabama average of 54%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 34% of households in Clayton rent, above 89% of cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 31% of adults in Clayton report food insecurity, above 96% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Pratts, AL D+16
- Mount Andrew, AL D+49
- Louisville, AL R+7
- Texasville, AL R+56
- Bakerhill, AL R+44
- Tyler Crossroads, AL R+45
- Smuteye, AL D+12
- Midway, AL D+67
- Batesville, AL D+3
Cities with Similar Populations
- Frankfort, MI D+13
- Butler, OH R+58
- Ajo, AZ D+6
- Dalton Gardens, ID R+43
- New London, IA R+35
- Parrish, AL R+72
- Port Washington North, NY D+16
- North, SC R+4
- Byrdstown, TN R+69
- Warrenton, GA D+25
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Alabama 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.