South Salem is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 81% of adults in South Salem typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Salem, ~15% vote Democratic, ~67% Republican, and ~18% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South Salem compares
Among cities within 25 miles, South Salem leans more Republican than 51 of 104 neighbors.
South Salem runs about 44 points more Republican than Indiana as a whole.
Why South Salem 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 South Salem, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 80% of households in South Salem are family households, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; South Salem, IN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in South Salem looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 90% of households in South Salem own their home, about 9 points above the Indiana average of 82%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Harrisville, IN R+61
- Union City, IN R+46
- Union City, OH R+59
- Long, OH R+69
- Spartanburg, IN R+63
- Saratoga, IN R+61
- Rural, IN R+61
- Winchester, IN R+51
- Snow Hill, IN R+61
- Elroy, OH R+69
Cities with Similar Populations
- Interior, SD R+65
- Piedmont, OH R+61
- Paynesville, MI R+24
- Quarry, IA R+38
- Vantage, WA R+41
- Pachitla, GA R+23
- Breaks, VA R+69
- Lamont, WA R+75
- Trust, NC R+36
- Dunlap, KS R+61
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Indiana Secretary of State, 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.