Highland County leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Highland County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Highland County, ~21% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Highland County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Highland County leans more Republican than 9 of 15 neighbors.
Highland County runs about 52 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Highland County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Highland 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 Highland County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Highland County sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 95% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 22 points above the Virginia average of 73%. Highland County runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Highland County, VA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Highland County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Highland 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 90% of households in Highland County own their home, compared to around 69% in nearby counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Pendleton County, WV R+61
- Pocahontas County, WV R+55
- Bath County, VA R+54
- Staunton City, VA Even
- Augusta County, VA R+45
- Randolph County, WV R+51
- Harrisonburg City, VA D+18
- Rockingham County, VA R+40
- Rockbridge County, VA R+36
- Lexington City, VA D+10
Counties with Similar Populations
- Quitman County, GA R+17
- Burke County, ND R+76
- Adams County, ND R+62
- Divide County, ND R+59
- Robertson County, KY R+61
- Culberson County, TX R+18
- Greeley County, NE R+68
- Renville County, ND R+65
- Garfield County, WA R+58
- Cimarron County, OK R+68
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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.