Dawson is a Republican stronghold. About 21% of voters here vote Democratic and 79% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Dawson typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Dawson, ~16% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Dawson compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Dawson leans more Republican than 29 of 98 neighbors.
Dawson runs about 87 points more Republican than Maryland as a whole. Maryland leans Democratic overall, while Dawson is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Dawson 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 Dawson, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Dawson, more than 99% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 28 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 22 points below the Maryland average of 38%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 85% of residents in Dawson drive to work alone, above 83% of cities. Dawson runs against the grain of Maryland, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Dawson, MD sits in the top 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 Dawson looks the way it does
Turnout in Dawson sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Rawlings, MD R+60
- Keyser, WV R+51
- Barton, MD R+63
- Dogwood Flats, MD R+63
- Westernport, MD R+55
- Bier, MD R+60
- Limestone, WV R+69
- Piedmont, WV R+61
- Nikep, MD R+63
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lyonsdale, NY R+45
- Lane, TN R+74
- Byrds Creek, WI R+27
- Morgansville, OH R+61
- Carey, TX R+79
- Capels, WV R+74
- Hamner, AL D+48
- Burns City, IN R+68
- Sheridan, NV R+49
- Carterville, LA R+70
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Maryland 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.