Salem is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Salem typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Salem, ~16% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Salem compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Salem leans more Republican than 45 of 49 neighbors.
Salem runs about 26 points more Republican than Alabama as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Salem. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+70) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+48), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Salem 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 Salem, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 76% of households in Salem are family households, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Salem, AL sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Salem looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Salem 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 61%, about 7 points above the Alabama average of 54%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Powledge, AL R+66
- Smiths, AL R+41
- Smiths Station, AL R+40
- Roanoke Junction, AL R+62
- Tillery Crossroads, AL R+50
- Phenix City, AL R+3
- Piney Grove, GA R+56
- Opelika, AL R+8
- Blanton, AL R+73
- Fortson, GA R+36
Cities with Similar Populations
- Flagler Beach, FL R+37
- Maylene, AL R+34
- Laurel Hill, VA D+40
- Vandergrift, PA R+29
- Monona, WI D+58
- Basehor, KS R+30
- Gray, ME Even
- St. Augustine Shores, FL R+23
- Glennville, GA R+42
- Rockwood, VA D+10
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Alabama 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.