Matthews leans slightly Democratic by roughly 8 points: about 54% of voters vote Democratic and 46% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Matthews typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Matthews, ~45% vote Democratic, ~38% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Matthews compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Matthews leans more Democratic than 46 of 47 neighbors.
Matthews runs about 11 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Matthews. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+30) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+14), a spread of about 44 points.
Why Matthews 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 Matthews, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 54% of adults in Matthews hold a bachelor's degree, about 26 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Matthews sits in the top fifth on density (about 81%, above 94% of cities).
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Matthews, NC sits in the top tenth 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 Matthews looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Matthews 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Stallings, NC R+18
- Lake Park, NC R+14
- Hemby Bridge, NC R+18
- Indian Trail, NC R+15
- Mint Hill, NC R+4
- Weddington, NC R+21
- Wesley Chapel, NC R+19
- Charlotte, NC D+4
- Pineville, NC D+22
- Marvin, NC R+11
Cities with Similar Populations
- Carlisle, PA R+8
- Everett, MA D+25
- Mandeville, LA R+41
- Dacula, GA D+4
- Converse, TX D+17
- Euclid, OH D+63
- Grand Blanc, MI D+4
- Mankato, MN D+4
- Grapevine, TX R+12
- Antelope, CA R+2
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.