Martinsburg leans Republican by roughly 24 points: about 38% of voters vote Democratic and 62% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Martinsburg typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Martinsburg, ~23% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Martinsburg compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Martinsburg leans more Republican than 29 of 92 neighbors.
Martinsburg runs about 18 points more Democratic than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Martinsburg. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+36) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+13), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Martinsburg 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 Martinsburg, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Martinsburg votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 57%, far above the West Virginia average of 12%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Martinsburg, WV sits in the bottom 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 Martinsburg looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 32% of households in Martinsburg rent, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Johnsontown, WV R+53
- Jones Springs, WV R+57
- Hedgesville, WV R+53
- Kearneysville, WV R+40
- Inwood, WV R+39
- Shepherdstown, WV R+2
- Falling Waters, WV R+39
- Gerrardstown, WV R+49
- Shenandoah Junction, WV R+21
- Sharpsburg, MD R+50
Cities with Similar Populations
- Niagara Falls, NY D+10
- Laguna Niguel, CA Even
- Mechanicsville, VA R+22
- Wylie, TX R+12
- Burnsville, MN D+23
- Belleville, IL D+19
- Woodland, CA D+22
- Hot Springs, AR R+24
- West Bloomfield, MI D+14
- La Habra, CA D+5
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.