South Central, Raleigh, NC Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in South Central

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

South Central is a Democratic stronghold. About 85% of voters here vote Democratic and 15% Republican.

 

About 55% of adults in South Central typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Central, ~47% vote Democratic, ~8% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How South Central compares

Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, South Central leans more Democratic than 12 of 13 neighbors.

South Central runs about 72 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while South Central is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by block within South Central. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+84) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+55), a spread of about 29 points.

Why South Central leans the way it does

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

South Central votes against the grain of North Carolina. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while South Central runs about 72 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 55% of adults in South Central have never been married, above 89% of neighborhoods.

Cancer-screening access and voter turnout

Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; South Central, Raleigh, NC sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.

Why turnout in South Central looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. South Central is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 48%, about 13 points below the North Carolina average of 61%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 64% of households in South Central rent, about 39 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and South Central sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. 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 North Carolina State Board 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.