Fayette County leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 61% of adults in Fayette County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Fayette County, ~17% vote Democratic, ~44% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Fayette County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Fayette County leans more Republican than 1 of 13 neighbors.
Politically, Fayette County sits close to the rest of West Virginia.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Fayette County. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+59) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+38), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Fayette 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 Fayette County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 15% of adults in Fayette County hold a bachelor's degree, about 13 points below the U.S. average of 28%.
Non-English at home and voter turnout
Places with a high non-English-at-home share tend to turn out at a lower rate; Fayette County, WV sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Fayette County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Fayette County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 87% of adults in Fayette County have completed high school, below 73% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Raleigh County, WV R+46
- Nicholas County, WV R+60
- Summers County, WV R+52
- Clay County, WV R+63
- Boone County, WV R+62
- Kanawha County, WV R+19
- Wyoming County, WV R+73
- Greenbrier County, WV R+47
- Monroe County, WV R+63
- Webster County, WV R+68
Counties with Similar Populations
- Amador County, CA R+35
- LaGrange County, IN R+63
- Wyoming County, NY R+39
- McKean County, PA R+43
- Tazewell County, VA R+58
- Pasquotank County, NC Even
- Delaware County, OK R+58
- Knox County, ME D+7
- Sanilac County, MI R+46
- Ottawa County, OH R+30
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.