Pendleton County is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Pendleton County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pendleton County, ~14% vote Democratic, ~60% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pendleton County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Pendleton County leans more Republican than 13 of 14 neighbors.
Pendleton County runs about 20 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Pendleton County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+72) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+59), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Pendleton 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 Pendleton County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Pendleton County, about 94% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 10 points below the U.S. average of 28%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Pendleton County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 6%, below 93% of counties).
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Pendleton County, WV sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Pendleton County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Pendleton 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 52%, about 8 points below the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 85% of households in Pendleton County own their home, above 95% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Highland County, VA R+46
- Grant County, WV R+74
- Harrisonburg City, VA D+18
- Rockingham County, VA R+40
- Randolph County, WV R+51
- Tucker County, WV R+50
- Hardy County, WV R+61
- Staunton City, VA Even
- Augusta County, VA R+45
- Page County, VA R+53
Counties with Similar Populations
- Iron County, WI R+27
- Presidio County, TX D+4
- Gentry County, MO R+63
- Hamlin County, SD R+64
- Van Buren County, TN R+71
- Menifee County, KY R+64
- Quitman County, MS D+44
- Clay County, NE R+64
- Shelby County, MO R+65
- Reynolds County, MO R+67
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.