McKinley is a Republican stronghold. About 23% of voters here vote Democratic and 77% Republican.
About 75% of adults in McKinley typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in McKinley, ~17% vote Democratic, ~58% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How McKinley compares
Among cities within 25 miles, McKinley leans more Republican than 48 of 69 neighbors.
McKinley runs about 60 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while McKinley is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why McKinley 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 McKinley, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in McKinley live in densely developed areas, about 21 points below the Virginia average of 26%. McKinley runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; McKinley, VA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in McKinley looks the way it does
Turnout in McKinley sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Middlebrook, VA R+52
- Craigsville, VA R+34
- Augusta Springs, VA R+64
- Summerdean, VA R+51
- Steeles Tavern, VA R+58
- Brownsburg, VA R+47
- Raphine, VA R+48
- Greenville, VA R+56
- Wilda, VA R+53
- Goshen, VA R+52
Cities with Similar Populations
- Wood Lake, NE R+89
- Lake Itasca, MN R+33
- Upton, UT R+58
- Ruddle, WV R+62
- Wyldwood, TX R+16
- Wila, PA R+56
- Haskins, IA R+44
- West Whately, MA D+45
- Herty, TX R+73
- Tatums, OK R+26
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.