Franklin leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Franklin typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Franklin, ~22% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Franklin compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Franklin leans more Republican than 27 of 56 neighbors.
Franklin runs about 42 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Why Franklin 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 Franklin, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Franklin votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 22%, about 14 points below the U.S. average of 36%). Here an older population outweighs the Democratic lean that density usually predicts.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Franklin, NC sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Franklin looks the way it does
Turnout in Franklin 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 Cities
- Ellijay, NC R+45
- Otto, NC R+43
- Sugarfork, NC R+31
- Stiles, NC R+55
- Leatherman, NC R+46
- Pumpkintown, NC R+25
- Aquone, NC R+52
- Scaly Mountain, NC R+31
- Gay, NC R+38
- Kyle, NC R+52
Cities with Similar Populations
- Candler, NC R+13
- Fresno, TX D+55
- Loma Linda, CA D+12
- Valencia, CA D+9
- Angleton, TX R+31
- Bayonet Point, FL R+24
- Argyle, TX R+38
- Chelmsford, MA D+17
- Grandview, MO D+37
- Lemon Grove, CA D+22
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.