Pekin is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Pekin typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pekin, ~13% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pekin compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Pekin leans more Republican than 53 of 61 neighbors.
Pekin runs about 57 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Why Pekin leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Pekin, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Pekin live in densely developed areas, about 22 points below the North Carolina average of 27%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Pekin sits in the bottom quarter (about 7%, below 97% of cities). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 85% of households in Pekin are family households, above 96% of cities.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Pekin, 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 Pekin looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Pekin is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Onvil, NC R+60
- Ex-Way, NC R+44
- Candor, NC R+22
- Norman, NC R+31
- Covington, NC D+15
- Mangum, NC R+23
- Capelsie, NC R+27
- Mount Gilead, NC R+19
- Roberdo, NC R+26
Cities with Similar Populations
- Morland, KS R+72
- Gem, WV R+60
- Foneswood, VA R+23
- North Rome, PA R+56
- Woods, OR R+26
- Wien, MO R+67
- Brewster, NE R+78
- Galatia, NC Even
- Glen Falls, WV R+48
- Shortsville, PA R+62
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.