South Roanoke leans Democratic by roughly 16 points: about 58% of voters vote Democratic and 42% Republican.
About 98% of adults in South Roanoke typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Roanoke, ~57% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~2% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South Roanoke compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, South Roanoke leans more Democratic than 3 of 7 neighbors.
South Roanoke runs about 10 points more Democratic than Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within South Roanoke. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+22) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+9), a spread of about 13 points.
Why South Roanoke 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 Roanoke, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 66% of adults in South Roanoke hold a bachelor's degree, about 38 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; South Roanoke, Roanoke, VA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in South Roanoke looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. South Roanoke 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 78%, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Colonial Avenue Area, Roanoke, VA D+20
- Raleigh Court, Roanoke, VA D+22
- Belmont, Roanoke, VA D+3
- Melrose-Rugby, Roanoke, VA D+81
- Williamson Road, Roanoke, VA D+21
- Roundhill, Roanoke, VA D+13
- Preston Park, Roanoke, VA Even
- Kabrich Crescent, Blacksburg, VA D+37
- Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg, VA D+46
- Bedford Hills, Lynchburg, VA R+3
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Lakeview North, Provo, UT R+24
- Columbia San Diego, San Diego, CA D+37
- Scenic Bluff, Fort Worth, TX D+21
- Downtown Conneaut, Conneaut, OH R+19
- Fairview, Charlotte, NC R+60
- Burrage, Hanson, MA Even
- Oakland Beach, Warwick, RI D+5
- Downtown Grand Forks, Grand Forks, ND D+12
- Westbury, Lehi, UT R+25
- Downtown East, Minneapolis, MN D+65
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department 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.