Roanoke County leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 88% of adults in Roanoke County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Roanoke County, ~34% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~12% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Roanoke County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Roanoke County leans more Republican than 7 of 24 neighbors.
Roanoke County runs about 29 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Roanoke County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Roanoke County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+42) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+15), a spread of about 27 points.
Why Roanoke 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 Roanoke County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Roanoke County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 65%, far above the Virginia average of 26%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Roanoke County runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Roanoke County, VA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Roanoke County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Roanoke 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 95% of adults in Roanoke County have completed high school, above 88% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Roanoke City, VA D+25
- 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
- Franklin County, WA R+16
- Sherburne County, MN R+29
- Walton County, GA R+37
- Bastrop County, TX R+24
- Lafourche Parish, LA R+55
- Ashtabula County, OH R+32
- Marshall County, AL R+64
- Putnam County, NY R+13
- Lancaster County, SC R+23
- Portsmouth City, VA D+41
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.