Sanford is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Sanford typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sanford, ~14% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sanford compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sanford leans more Republican than 59 of 80 neighbors.
Sanford runs about 54 points more Republican than Pennsylvania as a whole.
Why Sanford 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 Sanford, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Sanford, about 98% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 26 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 12 points below the Pennsylvania average of 26%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Sanford sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 5%, below 79% of cities).
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Sanford, PA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Sanford looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 91% of households in Sanford own their home, about 12 points above the Pennsylvania average of 79%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Torpedo, PA R+53
- Grand Valley, PA R+56
- Garland, PA R+55
- Spartansburg, PA R+60
- Colza, PA R+53
- Spring Creek, PA R+57
- Pittsfield, PA R+55
- Five Corners, PA R+61
- Starr, PA R+50
- Lovell, PA R+49
Cities with Similar Populations
- Hermitage Springs, TN R+75
- Herald, VA R+68
- Butteville, OR R+35
- White Oak Junction, KY R+86
- Morgan, KY R+66
- Venia, VA R+69
- Port Barnett, PA R+65
- Celeryville, OH R+57
- Edgewood, MO R+64
- Christian Bend, TN R+73
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau 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.