Rocky Mount leans heavily Democratic by roughly 34 points: about 67% of voters vote Democratic and 33% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Rocky Mount typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rocky Mount, ~53% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rocky Mount compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Rocky Mount leans more Democratic than 61 of 69 neighbors.
Rocky Mount runs about 38 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Rocky Mount is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Rocky Mount. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+80) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (Even), a spread of about 80 points.
Why Rocky Mount 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 Rocky Mount, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 62% of residents in Rocky Mount live in densely developed areas, about 26 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 39% of adults in Rocky Mount have never been married, above 92% of cities. Rocky Mount runs against the grain of North Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Rocky Mount, NC 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 Rocky Mount looks the way it does
Turnout in Rocky Mount 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 Cities
- Dortches, NC R+17
- Sharpsburg, NC R+7
- Battleboro, NC D+20
- Drake, NC Even
- Red Oak, NC R+42
- Nashville, NC R+13
- Mercer, NC R+50
- Elm City, NC R+28
- Winstead Crossroads, NC R+35
- Gold Rock, NC D+47
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bay City, MI R+12
- Port Orange, FL R+26
- Little Elm, TX D+3
- Coon Rapids, MN D+9
- Grove City, OH R+13
- Taylor, MI D+6
- Decatur, AL R+18
- Dearborn Heights, MI R+6
- Eden Prairie, MN D+28
- Pottstown, PA D+7
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Carolina State Board 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.