Estill leans heavily Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Estill typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Estill, ~42% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Estill compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Estill leans more Democratic than 38 of 46 neighbors.
Estill runs about 48 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Estill is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Estill. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+70) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+27), a spread of about 98 points.
Why Estill 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 Estill, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Estill votes against the grain of South Carolina. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Estill runs about 48 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 41% of adults in Estill have never been married, above 94% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Estill, SC sits above the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Estill looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Estill 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 48%, about 11 points below the South Carolina average of 58%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lena, SC D+36
- Nixville, SC R+58
- Luray, SC D+17
- Garnett, SC D+29
- Furman, SC D+30
- Scotia, SC D+48
- Miley, SC R+54
- Gifford, SC D+6
- Shirley, SC D+47
- Pineland, SC D+49
Cities with Similar Populations
- Mechanic Falls, ME R+34
- Goodhue, MN R+45
- Deer River, MN R+24
- Jayess, MS R+62
- Gosport, IN R+52
- Bergen, NY R+34
- Topton, PA R+23
- Hornsby Bend, TX D+36
- Buckhead, GA R+58
- La Mesa, NM Even
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, 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.