Nicholas County is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Nicholas County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Nicholas County, ~13% vote Democratic, ~50% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Nicholas County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Nicholas County leans more Republican than 9 of 12 neighbors.
Nicholas County runs about 18 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Why Nicholas 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 Nicholas County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Nicholas County sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 96% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 72%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Nicholas County, WV sits below the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Nicholas County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 83% of households in Nicholas County own their home, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Webster County, WV R+68
- Clay County, WV R+63
- Fayette County, WV R+46
- Braxton County, WV R+57
- Greenbrier County, WV R+47
- Pocahontas County, WV R+55
- Raleigh County, WV R+46
- Summers County, WV R+52
- Calhoun County, WV R+65
- Roane County, WV R+60
Counties with Similar Populations
- Burke County, GA R+7
- Somerset County, MD Even
- Union County, GA R+58
- Uvalde County, TX R+23
- Cassia County, ID R+63
- Rowan County, KY R+34
- White County, IN R+43
- Waushara County, WI R+33
- Jefferson County, OR R+26
- Randolph County, IN R+55
All Local Stats
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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.