Pickens is a Republican stronghold. About 17% of voters here vote Democratic and 83% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Pickens typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pickens, ~13% vote Democratic, ~64% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pickens compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Pickens leans more Republican than 52 of 56 neighbors.
Pickens runs about 49 points more Republican than South Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Pickens. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+74) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+41), a spread of about 33 points.
Why Pickens 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 Pickens, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Pickens votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 25%, about 11 points below the U.S. average of 36%). 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; Pickens, SC sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Pickens looks the way it does
Turnout in Pickens sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Nine Times, SC R+70
- Dacusville, SC R+74
- Sunset, SC R+58
- Six Mile, SC R+64
- Liberty, SC R+66
- Rocky Bottom, SC R+61
- Easley, SC R+53
- Nimmons, SC R+64
- Norris, SC R+70
- Lakemont, SC R+65
Cities with Similar Populations
- Riverton, WY R+46
- Broussard, LA R+43
- Camano Island, WA D+6
- Parole, MD D+30
- Vinings, GA D+37
- Sunny Vista, CA D+15
- Coshocton, OH R+45
- Pinckney, MI R+19
- East Highland Park, VA D+69
- Bothell West, WA D+23
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, 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.