Clayton is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Clayton typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Clayton, ~13% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Clayton compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Clayton leans more Republican than 14 of 116 neighbors.
Clayton runs about 11 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
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.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 94% of residents in Clayton drive to work alone, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Clayton, WV 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 Clayton looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 35% of households in Clayton rent, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and Clayton sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Glenray, WV R+51
- Alderson, WV R+46
- Tempa, WV R+55
- Judson, WV R+60
- Pence Springs, WV R+52
- Talcott, WV R+55
- Creamery, WV R+55
- Hix, WV R+54
- Blue Sulphur Springs, WV R+61
- Lawn, WV R+57
Cities with Similar Populations
- South Cortland, NY R+22
- Kirk, CO R+70
- Pennington, CA R+51
- Loraine, MS R+71
- Purdy, VA D+45
- Rosella, MS R+30
- Cliff, NM R+40
- Gardiner, OR R+33
- Gatesville, MS R+41
- Teloga, GA R+72
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.