North Matewan is a Republican stronghold. About 16% of voters here vote Democratic and 84% Republican.
About 49% of adults in North Matewan typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in North Matewan, ~8% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~51% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How North Matewan compares
Among cities within 25 miles, North Matewan leans more Republican than 38 of 146 neighbors.
North Matewan runs about 26 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Why North Matewan 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 North Matewan, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 5% of adults in North Matewan hold a bachelor's degree, about 12 points below the West Virginia average of 17%.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; North Matewan, WV sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in North Matewan looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. North Matewan is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 43%, about 8 points below the West Virginia average of 52%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 26% of adults in North Matewan report food insecurity, above 92% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 79% of adults in North Matewan have completed high school, below 92% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Matewan, WV R+74
- Red Jacket, WV R+73
- McCarr, KY R+74
- Edgarton, WV R+67
- Varney, WV R+77
- Lobata, WV R+74
- Freeburn, KY R+74
- Taylorville, WV R+75
- Rawl, WV R+78
- Hardy, KY R+69
Cities with Similar Populations
- Thurston, NE R+56
- Olivet, WI R+32
- Corry, MO R+69
- Shade Gap, PA R+70
- Cranks, KY R+78
- Caney, AR R+70
- Perry Park, KY R+60
- Bridgewater Corners, VT D+8
- Devore Heights, CA R+30
- Whiteside, TN R+51
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.