Grafton is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Grafton typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Grafton, ~16% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Grafton compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Grafton leans more Republican than 46 of 185 neighbors.
Grafton runs about 9 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Grafton. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+60) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+42), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Grafton 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 Grafton, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Grafton, about 96% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 14 points below the U.S. average of 28%. Dense places usually vote Democratic, but Grafton runs against that pattern.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Grafton, WV sits in the top 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 Grafton looks the way it does
Turnout in Grafton sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Fetterman, WV R+53
- Lucretia, WV R+59
- Park View, WV R+60
- Brownlow, WV R+56
- Pruntytown, WV R+59
- Webster, WV R+62
- Millertown, WV R+61
- McGee, WV R+54
- Thornton, WV R+60
- Simpson, WV R+62
Cities with Similar Populations
- Science Hill, KY R+65
- Fredericksburg, OH R+73
- Webster, FL R+50
- Montrose, MN R+39
- Marengo, OH R+57
- Lincolnton, GA R+33
- Owensville, MO R+56
- Pelican Rapids, MN R+22
- Rice, MN R+50
- Stanton, MI R+43
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.