Salem City leans Republican by roughly 20 points: about 40% of voters vote Democratic and 60% Republican.
About 85% of adults in Salem City typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Salem City, ~34% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~15% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Salem City compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Salem City leans more Republican than 6 of 23 neighbors.
Salem City runs about 26 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Salem City is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Salem City. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+34) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+13), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Salem 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 Salem City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Salem City votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 89%, far above the Virginia average of 26%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Salem City 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; Salem City, 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 Salem City looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Salem City 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Salem City have completed high school, above 87% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Roanoke County, VA R+23
- Roanoke City, VA D+25
- Craig County, VA R+64
- Botetourt County, VA R+45
- Montgomery County, VA D+10
- Franklin County, VA R+46
- Floyd County, VA R+47
- Radford City, VA Even
- Bedford County, VA R+43
- Covington City, VA R+29
Counties with Similar Populations
- Pottawatomie County, KS R+46
- Hardee County, FL R+46
- Fannin County, GA R+62
- Washington County, FL R+61
- Adair County, MO R+21
- Gladwin County, MI R+42
- Payette County, ID R+57
- Lyon County, MN R+28
- Luna County, NM R+19
- Todd County, MN R+50
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.