Putnam County leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Putnam County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Putnam County, ~21% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Putnam County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Putnam County leans more Republican than 3 of 17 neighbors.
Politically, Putnam County sits close to the rest of West Virginia.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Putnam County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+56) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+42), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Putnam 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 Putnam County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Putnam County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 48%, far above the West Virginia average of 12%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 69% of households in Putnam County are family households, above 75% of counties.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Putnam County, WV sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Putnam County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Putnam 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 Putnam County own their home, above 88% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Putnam County have completed high school, above 84% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Kanawha County, WV R+19
- Lincoln County, WV R+65
- Cabell County, WV R+19
- Mason County, WV R+59
- Jackson County, WV R+57
- Boone County, WV R+62
- Gallia County, OH R+57
- Lawrence County, OH R+50
- Wayne County, WV R+55
- Roane County, WV R+60
Counties with Similar Populations
- Vermilion Parish, LA R+55
- Gordon County, GA R+60
- Acadia Parish, LA R+54
- Iron County, UT R+53
- Colbert County, AL R+46
- Box Elder County, UT R+56
- Jefferson County, WV R+22
- Scott County, KY R+29
- Windsor County, VT D+17
- Oxford County, ME R+25
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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.