Northampton County leans Democratic by roughly 16 points: about 58% of voters vote Democratic and 42% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Northampton County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Northampton County, ~43% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Northampton County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Northampton County leans more Democratic than 8 of 15 neighbors.
Northampton County runs about 19 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Northampton County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Northampton County. The southwest side runs the most Democratic (D+73) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+19), a spread of about 92 points.
Why Northampton 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 Northampton County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural, majority-Black areas of the Southern Black Belt vote Democratic, against the usual rural pattern. About 55% of residents in Northampton County are Black or African American, about 37 points above the North Carolina average of 18%. Northampton County runs against the grain of North Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Northampton County, NC sits in the bottom 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 Northampton County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Northampton County 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 54%, about 6 points below the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Halifax County, NC D+22
- Emporia City, VA D+43
- Greensville County, VA D+13
- Hertford County, NC D+25
- Southampton County, VA R+22
- Brunswick County, VA D+13
- Franklin City, VA D+32
- Bertie County, NC D+19
- Warren County, NC D+19
- Edgecombe County, NC D+26
Counties with Similar Populations
- Lee County, TX R+52
- Delaware County, IA R+39
- Polk County, TN R+72
- Park County, CO R+9
- Pitkin County, CO D+40
- Pike County, MO R+55
- Drew County, AR R+25
- Chester County, TN R+61
- Patrick County, VA R+58
- Seward County, NE R+52
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.