Ohio County leans Republican by roughly 20 points: about 40% of voters vote Democratic and 60% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Ohio County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ohio County, ~27% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ohio County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Ohio County leans more Republican than 3 of 19 neighbors.
Ohio County runs about 22 points more Democratic than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Ohio County. The west side runs the most Democratic (Even) and the east side runs the most Republican (R+38), a spread of about 40 points.
Why Ohio 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 Ohio County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Ohio County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 49%, far above the West Virginia average of 12%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Ohio County, WV sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Ohio County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Ohio 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 59%, below 56% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Marshall County, WV R+50
- Belmont County, OH R+45
- Brooke County, WV R+42
- Jefferson County, OH R+35
- Harrison County, OH R+56
- Hancock County, WV R+42
- Washington County, PA R+24
- Monroe County, OH R+63
- Wetzel County, WV R+57
- Greene County, PA R+43
Counties with Similar Populations
- St. John the Baptist Parish, LA D+27
- Summit County, UT D+10
- Mercer County, OH R+65
- Erath County, TX R+55
- Sweetwater County, WY R+53
- Vance County, NC D+19
- Danville City, VA D+32
- Miller County, AR R+26
- Pierce County, WI R+19
- Montrose County, CO R+30
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.