Roanoke City leans Democratic by roughly 24 points: about 62% of voters vote Democratic and 38% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Roanoke City typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Roanoke City, ~43% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Roanoke City compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Roanoke City is the most Democratic-leaning.
Roanoke City runs about 19 points more Democratic than Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Roanoke City. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+53) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+6), a spread of about 59 points.
Why Roanoke City 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 Roanoke City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 94% of residents in Roanoke City live in densely developed areas, about 58 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Roanoke City sits in the top quarter (about 30%, above 75% of counties). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 41% of adults in Roanoke City have never been married, above 94% of counties.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Roanoke City, VA 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 Roanoke City looks the way it does
Turnout in Roanoke City 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 Counties
- Roanoke County, VA R+23
- Salem City, VA R+21
- Botetourt County, VA R+45
- Craig County, VA R+64
- Franklin County, VA R+46
- Montgomery County, VA D+10
- Bedford County, VA R+43
- Floyd County, VA R+47
- Radford City, VA Even
- Covington City, VA R+29
Counties with Similar Populations
- Hunt County, TX R+49
- Garland County, AR R+33
- Moore County, NC R+24
- Montgomery County, VA D+10
- Dallas County, IA R+7
- Sutter County, CA R+23
- DeKalb County, IL D+3
- Cleveland County, NC R+33
- Laramie County, WY R+23
- Lenawee County, MI R+27
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department of 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.