East Salem is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 55% of adults in East Salem typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in East Salem, ~11% vote Democratic, ~44% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How East Salem compares
Among cities within 25 miles, East Salem leans more Republican than 59 of 161 neighbors.
East Salem runs about 17 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within East Salem. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+66) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+55), a spread of about 10 points.
Why East Salem 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 Salem, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 91% of residents in East Salem drive to work alone, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; East Salem, WV sits in the bottom quarter 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 Salem looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. East Salem is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 54%, about 6 points below the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Salem, WV R+59
- Lake Floyd, WV R+56
- Industrial, WV R+57
- Flinderation, WV R+55
- Wolf Summit, WV R+63
- Marshville, WV R+60
- Reynoldsville, WV R+62
- Sedalia, WV R+68
- Zinnia, WV R+71
- Sun Valley, WV R+54
Cities with Similar Populations
- Candia Four Corners, NH R+20
- New Houlka, MS R+15
- Thompson, IA R+37
- Altona, IL R+38
- St. Leon, IN R+65
- Mapleton, OR R+18
- Maplewood, NY R+15
- Callaghan, VA R+65
- Old Mission, MI D+25
- Gilboa, OH R+68
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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.