Onslow County leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Onslow County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Onslow County, ~29% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Onslow County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Onslow County leans more Republican than 3 of 8 neighbors.
Onslow County runs about 19 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Onslow County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+42) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+3), a spread of about 39 points.
Why Onslow 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 Onslow County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 73% of households in Onslow County are family households, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Onslow County, NC sits above the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Onslow County looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 94% of adults in Onslow County have completed high school, about 6 points above the North Carolina average of 88%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Jones County, NC R+24
- Pender County, NC R+33
- Craven County, NC R+15
- Duplin County, NC R+23
- Carteret County, NC R+35
- Lenoir County, NC Even
- Pamlico County, NC R+37
- New Hanover County, NC D+5
- Greene County, NC R+15
- Wayne County, NC R+7
Counties with Similar Populations
- Yuma County, AZ R+8
- Anderson County, SC R+43
- Champaign County, IL D+29
- Hall County, GA R+32
- Richmond County, GA D+41
- Benton County, WA R+21
- Muscogee County, GA D+25
- Elkhart County, IN R+28
- Trumbull County, OH R+17
- Hawaii County, HI D+20
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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.