East Laurinburg leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% Republican.
About 57% of adults in East Laurinburg typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in East Laurinburg, ~32% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How East Laurinburg compares
Among cities within 25 miles, East Laurinburg leans more Democratic than 64 of 68 neighbors.
East Laurinburg runs about 16 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while East Laurinburg is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within East Laurinburg. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+24) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+15), a spread of about 40 points.
Why East Laurinburg 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 East Laurinburg, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting. Non-Hispanic white share in East Laurinburg is about 34%, about 38 points below the U.S. average of 72%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 40% of adults in East Laurinburg have never been married, above 94% of cities. East Laurinburg runs against the grain of North Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; East Laurinburg, NC sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in East Laurinburg looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. East Laurinburg 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 45%, about 16 points below the North Carolina average of 61%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 43% of households in East Laurinburg rent, compared to around 27% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 36% of adults in East Laurinburg report food insecurity, above 98% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Laurinburg, NC D+12
- Elmore, NC R+10
- McArthur Crossroads, NC R+23
- Johns, NC R+20
- Richmond Mills, NC R+29
- Floral College, NC R+29
- Laurel Hill, NC R+34
- Maxton, NC R+11
- Hasty, NC R+24
Cities with Similar Populations
- Waiteville, WV R+61
- Wakelee, MI R+41
- Lockhart Junction, SC R+53
- Plainview, GA R+79
- Alhambra, VA R+46
- Inman, NE R+74
- Swanburg, MN R+31
- Dryfork, WV R+46
- Chester, IA R+49
- Sweet Briar, VA R+25
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.