Northwest Raleigh leans heavily Democratic by roughly 34 points: about 67% of voters vote Democratic and 33% Republican.
About 85% of adults in Northwest Raleigh typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Northwest Raleigh, ~57% vote Democratic, ~28% Republican, and ~15% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Northwest Raleigh compares
Northwest Raleigh runs about 37 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Northwest Raleigh is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Northwest Raleigh. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+38) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+15), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Northwest Raleigh leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Northwest Raleigh, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 65% of adults in Northwest Raleigh hold a bachelor's degree, about 37 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Northwest Raleigh runs against the grain of North Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh, NC sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Northwest Raleigh looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Northwest Raleigh 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Six Forks, Raleigh, NC D+27
- Glenwood, Raleigh, NC D+19
- Falls of Neuse, Raleigh, NC D+31
- Wade, Raleigh, NC D+44
- North, Raleigh, NC D+27
- Five Points, Raleigh, NC D+38
- West, Raleigh, NC D+45
- Hillsborough, Raleigh, NC D+55
- Mordecai, Raleigh, NC D+61
- North Central, Raleigh, NC D+67
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Wedgwood, Fort Worth, TX D+21
- Northeast, El Paso, TX D+14
- Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA D+51
- Central City, Corpus Christi, TX D+20
- Hickory Ridge-South Riverdale, Memphis, TN D+77
- Kew Ggardens, Queens, NY D+9
- Fort Green, Brooklyn, NY D+78
- Lake View, Chicago, IL D+70
- Far North Dallas-Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX R+6
- Bedford Park, Bronx, NY D+33
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.