New Salem leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 71% of adults in New Salem typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in New Salem, ~23% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How New Salem compares
Among cities within 25 miles, New Salem leans more Republican than 53 of 206 neighbors.
New Salem runs about 32 points more Republican than Pennsylvania as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within New Salem. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+42) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+27), a spread of about 15 points.
Why New Salem 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 New Salem, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 88% of residents in New Salem drive to work alone, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 75% of households in New Salem are family households, above 77% of cities.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; New Salem, PA sits above the national average 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 New Salem looks the way it does
Turnout in New Salem 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
- Buffington, PA R+28
- Fairbank, PA R+39
- Cardale, PA R+40
- Hibbs, PA R+39
- Republic, PA R+28
- Chestnut Ridge, PA R+43
- Keisterville, PA R+37
- McClellandtown, PA R+40
- Allison, PA R+38
- Uledi, PA R+34
Cities with Similar Populations
- Castorland, NY R+51
- Welch, MN R+32
- Battle Creek, NE R+68
- Spiveys Corner, NC R+55
- Umpqua, OR R+36
- Dysart, IA R+36
- New Madison, OH R+66
- South Range, WI R+17
- Tillery Crossroads, AL R+50
- Hoagland, IN R+55
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau 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.