Pamlico County leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Pamlico County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pamlico County, ~25% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pamlico County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Pamlico County is the most Republican-leaning.
Pamlico County runs about 34 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Pamlico County. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+8) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+51), a spread of about 60 points.
Why Pamlico 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 Pamlico County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 7% of residents in Pamlico County live in densely developed areas, about 20 points below the North Carolina average of 27%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Pamlico County, NC sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Pamlico County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Pamlico 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 62%, above 60% of counties. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 82% of households in Pamlico County own their home, above 88% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Craven County, NC R+15
- Carteret County, NC R+35
- Beaufort County, NC R+24
- Jones County, NC R+24
- Hyde County, NC R+25
- Onslow County, NC R+23
- Pitt County, NC D+17
- Lenoir County, NC Even
- Washington County, NC D+7
- Martin County, NC R+4
Counties with Similar Populations
- Northampton County, VA Even
- Morgan County, UT R+63
- Menard County, IL R+41
- Pike County, IN R+55
- Todd County, KY R+59
- Appanoose County, IA R+43
- Grundy County, IA R+42
- Newton County, TX R+61
- Sumter County, AL D+43
- Stone County, AR R+63
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.