Lincoln County leans heavily Republican by roughly 44 points: about 28% of voters vote Democratic and 72% Republican.
About 86% of adults in Lincoln County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lincoln County, ~24% vote Democratic, ~62% Republican, and ~14% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lincoln County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Lincoln County leans more Republican than 11 of 17 neighbors.
Lincoln County runs about 41 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Lincoln County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+62) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+38), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 73% of households in Lincoln County are family households, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Lincoln County, NC sits in the top quarter 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 Lincoln County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Lincoln 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 66%, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Gaston County, NC R+18
- Catawba County, NC R+33
- Iredell County, NC R+23
- Cleveland County, NC R+33
- Mecklenburg County, NC D+35
- Alexander County, NC R+56
- Cabarrus County, NC R+7
- Burke County, NC R+40
- Caldwell County, NC R+47
- York County, SC R+17
Counties with Similar Populations
- Island County, WA D+10
- Bannock County, ID R+25
- Muskingum County, OH R+41
- Angelina County, TX R+41
- Polk County, OR R+4
- Lawrence County, PA R+28
- Burke County, NC R+40
- Dougherty County, GA D+48
- Cullman County, AL R+76
- Newport County, RI D+23
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.