South Carolina Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in South Carolina

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

South Carolina leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.

 

About 71% of adults in South Carolina typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Carolina, ~31% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How South Carolina compares

Among states within 500 miles, South Carolina leans more Republican than 8 of 12 neighbors.

Politics vary noticeably by county within South Carolina. The northwest side is the most split-leaning (R+27) and the south side is the least split-leaning (Even), a spread of about 27 points.

Why South Carolina leans the way it does

This analysis examined 14,881 data points per state to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for South Carolina, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Rural areas vote Republican, and South Carolina sits in the bottom quarter on developed land relative to similar places.

Population density and Republican lean

Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; South Carolina sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.

Why turnout in South Carolina looks the way it does

Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. South Carolina 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 62%, below 60% of states. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

All Local Stats

Home Services

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.