Roane County is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Roane County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Roane County, ~12% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Roane County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Roane County leans more Republican than 11 of 16 neighbors.
Roane County runs about 18 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Roane County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+65) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+53), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Roane 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 Roane 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 Roane County, about 95% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 14 points below the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Roane 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 Roane County looks the way it does
Areas with low high-school completion turn out at lower rates. About 84% of adults in Roane County have completed high school, about 5 points below the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Calhoun County, WV R+65
- Jackson County, WV R+57
- Clay County, WV R+63
- Wirt County, WV R+65
- Kanawha County, WV R+19
- Gilmer County, WV R+40
- Braxton County, WV R+57
- Putnam County, WV R+46
- Ritchie County, WV R+68
- Wood County, WV R+41
Counties with Similar Populations
- Hamilton County, FL R+24
- Price County, WI R+36
- Allamakee County, IA R+32
- Trigg County, KY R+56
- Pennington County, MN R+32
- Wadena County, MN R+49
- Screven County, GA R+23
- Lamar County, AL R+77
- Craig County, OK R+53
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK R+3
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.