Salem Crossroads, SC Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Salem Crossroads

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Salem Crossroads leans heavily Democratic by roughly 38 points: about 69% of voters vote Democratic and 31% Republican.

 

About 56% of adults in Salem Crossroads typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Salem Crossroads, ~39% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Salem Crossroads compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Salem Crossroads leans more Democratic than 40 of 44 neighbors.

Salem Crossroads runs about 56 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Salem Crossroads is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Why Salem Crossroads 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 Crossroads, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Rural, majority-Black areas of the Southern Black Belt vote Democratic, against the usual rural pattern. About 73% of residents in Salem Crossroads are Black or African American, about 43 points above the South Carolina average of 30%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 34% of adults in Salem Crossroads have never been married, above 86% of cities. Salem Crossroads runs against the grain of South Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.

Park access and Democratic lean

Places with heavy park coverage tend to lean Democratic; Salem Crossroads, SC sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.

Why turnout in Salem Crossroads looks the way it does

Areas with high food insecurity turn out at lower rates. About 28% of adults in Salem Crossroads report food insecurity, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 16%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 81% of adults in Salem Crossroads have completed high school, below 89% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, 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.