Garrett County is a Republican stronghold. About 25% of voters here vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Garrett County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Garrett County, ~19% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Garrett County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Garrett County leans more Republican than 6 of 14 neighbors.
Garrett County runs about 79 points more Republican than Maryland as a whole. Maryland leans Democratic overall, while Garrett County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Garrett County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+67) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+38), a spread of about 29 points.
Why Garrett 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 Garrett County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Garrett County votes against the grain of Maryland. Maryland leans Democratic overall, while Garrett County runs about 79 points more Republican.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Garrett County, MD sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Garrett County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Garrett County 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 62%, above 64% of counties. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 81% of households in Garrett County own their home, above 82% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Preston County, WV R+58
- Mineral County, WV R+58
- Allegany County, MD R+33
- Tucker County, WV R+50
- Grant County, WV R+74
- Monongalia County, WV D+4
- Fayette County, PA R+36
- Somerset County, PA R+54
- Hampshire County, WV R+62
- Hardy County, WV R+61
Counties with Similar Populations
- Jasper County, SC Even
- Marion County, TN R+62
- Cherokee County, NC R+51
- Pine County, MN R+37
- Alpena County, MI R+25
- Glenn County, CA R+32
- Van Wert County, OH R+56
- Ellis County, KS R+38
- Le Sueur County, MN R+32
- Stoddard County, MO R+62
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Maryland 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.