Raleigh leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Raleigh typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Raleigh, ~32% vote Democratic, ~28% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Raleigh compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Raleigh is the most Democratic-leaning.
Raleigh runs about 49 points more Democratic than West Virginia as a whole. West Virginia leans Republican overall, while Raleigh is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Raleigh. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+69) and the west side runs the most Republican (R+49), a spread of about 118 points.
Why Raleigh 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 Raleigh, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 52% of residents in Raleigh live in densely developed areas, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 36%. Raleigh runs against the grain of West Virginia, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Raleigh, WV sits in the top 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 Raleigh looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 33% of households in Raleigh rent, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and Raleigh sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 27% of adults in Raleigh report food insecurity, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Fitzpatrick, WV R+32
- MaCarthur, WV R+51
- Beckley, WV R+19
- Beaver, WV R+49
- Sprague, WV R+22
- Mabscott, WV R+52
- Skelton, WV R+32
- Stanaford, WV R+40
- Crab Orchard, WV R+63
- Daniels, WV R+54
Cities with Similar Populations
- Mont Ida, KS R+68
- Sligo, OH R+63
- Smithson, IN R+53
- Satin, TX R+68
- Schley, MN Even
- Trojan, SD R+51
- Celeste, GA R+8
- Causey, NM R+77
- Horace, KS R+79
- Rosier, GA D+8
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.