Holden Beach leans heavily Republican by roughly 38 points: about 31% of voters vote Democratic and 69% Republican.
About more than 99% of adults in Holden Beach typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Holden Beach, ~32% vote Democratic, ~72% Republican, and ~-4% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Holden Beach compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Holden Beach leans more Republican than 22 of 37 neighbors.
Holden Beach runs about 34 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Why Holden Beach 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 Holden Beach, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Holden Beach votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 35%, modestly above the North Carolina average of 27%). Here an older population outweighs the Democratic lean that density usually predicts. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 81% of households in Holden Beach are family households, above 92% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Holden Beach, NC sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Holden Beach looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Holden Beach 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 77%, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 94% of households in Holden Beach own their home, about 19 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 99% of adults in Holden Beach have completed high school, above 98% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Supply, NC R+43
- Varnamtown, NC R+50
- Shallotte, NC R+40
- Varnum, NC R+30
- Lennon Crossroads, NC R+35
- Ocean Isle Beach, NC R+36
- Bolivia, NC R+34
- Oak Island, NC R+30
- Grissettown, NC R+40
- St. James, NC R+27
Cities with Similar Populations
- Funkstown, MD R+15
- Oak Forest, KY R+68
- Mesa, MS R+13
- Lyle, MN R+41
- Calypso, NC R+47
- Bailey Lakes, OH R+61
- Cairo, OH R+66
- Little Rapids, WI R+22
- Bellwood, FL R+46
- Meadow Grove, NE R+72
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.