Saluda County leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Saluda County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Saluda County, ~23% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Saluda County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Saluda County leans more Republican than 10 of 13 neighbors.
Saluda County runs about 16 points more Republican than South Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Saluda County. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+69) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+11), a spread of about 58 points.
Why Saluda 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 Saluda County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 74% of households in Saluda County are family households, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Saluda County, SC sits in the bottom 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 Saluda County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Saluda County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Newberry County, SC R+22
- Edgefield County, SC R+23
- Lexington County, SC R+30
- Greenwood County, SC R+18
- Aiken County, SC R+24
- McCormick County, SC R+5
- Laurens County, SC R+35
- Richland County, SC D+38
- Columbia County, GA R+21
- Fairfield County, SC D+13
Counties with Similar Populations
- Tishomingo County, MS R+76
- Houston County, MN R+21
- Pike County, GA R+70
- Adair County, KY R+62
- Greene County, GA R+14
- Paulding County, OH R+57
- McIntosh County, OK R+55
- Perry County, MO R+62
- Waseca County, MN R+32
- Humphreys County, TN R+60
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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.