Durham County is a Democratic stronghold. About 80% of voters here vote Democratic and 20% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Durham County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Durham County, ~62% vote Democratic, ~16% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Durham County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Durham County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Durham County runs about 62 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Durham County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Durham County. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+69) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+31), a spread of about 38 points.
Why Durham 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 Durham County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 54% of adults in Durham County hold a bachelor's degree, about 26 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Durham County sits in the top fifth on density (about 74%, above 93% of counties). Durham County runs against the grain of North Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Durham County, NC sits in the top tenth 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 Durham County looks the way it does
Turnout in Durham County 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 Counties
- Orange County, NC D+48
- Wake County, NC D+28
- Granville County, NC R+7
- Chatham County, NC R+3
- Person County, NC R+24
- Alamance County, NC R+4
- Franklin County, NC R+18
- Vance County, NC D+19
- Caswell County, NC R+23
- Johnston County, NC R+21
Counties with Similar Populations
- Luzerne County, PA R+14
- Lancaster County, NE D+7
- Fayette County, KY D+24
- Escambia County, FL R+13
- Spartanburg County, SC R+25
- Weld County, CO R+17
- St. Lucie County, FL R+5
- Boulder County, CO D+52
- Howard County, MD D+40
- Henrico County, VA D+31
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Carolina 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.