Head Waters is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Head Waters typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Head Waters, ~12% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Head Waters compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Head Waters leans more Republican than 44 of 57 neighbors.
Head Waters runs about 67 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Head Waters is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Head Waters. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+65) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+52), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Head Waters 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 Head Waters, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Head Waters sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 98% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 26 points above the Virginia average of 73%. Head Waters runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Head Waters, VA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Head Waters looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 97% of households in Head Waters own their home, about 21 points above the Virginia average of 76%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- West Augusta, VA R+65
- Mc Dowell, VA R+52
- Deerfield, VA R+64
- Doe Hill, VA R+51
- Swoope, VA R+50
- Patna, VA R+58
- Churchville, VA R+51
- Augusta Springs, VA R+64
- Stokesville, VA R+65
- Stover, VA R+59
Cities with Similar Populations
- Switchback, WV R+50
- Knightly, VA R+45
- Bridgeton, IN R+63
- Sparta, PA R+58
- Ely, TX R+76
- Brandon, VA R+37
- Kapulena, HI D+23
- Repton, KY R+73
- Brixey, MO R+71
- Squirrel Island, ME D+10
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department 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.