South Side is a Democratic stronghold. About 78% of voters here vote Democratic and 22% Republican.
About 68% of adults in South Side typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Side, ~53% vote Democratic, ~15% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South Side compares
South Side sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable neighborhoods nearby.
South Side runs about 60 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while South Side is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within South Side. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+72) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+40), a spread of about 32 points.
Why South Side 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 Side, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
South Side votes against the grain of North Carolina. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while South Side runs about 60 points more Democratic.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; South Side, Wilmington, NC sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in South Side looks the way it does
Turnout in South Side sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Carolina Heights, Wilmington, NC D+66
- College Park, Wilmington, NC D+32
- Wrightsboro, Wilmington, NC R+3
- Silver Lake, Wilmington, NC Even
- Landfall, Wilmington, NC R+15
- Bayshore, Wilmington, NC R+11
- Downtown Fayetteville, Fayetteville, NC D+63
- Rockfish, Raeford, NC R+6
- South, Raleigh, NC D+71
- Southeast, Raleigh, NC D+65
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Highland Garden, Hollywood, FL D+37
- Silver Terrace, San Francisco, CA D+36
- Little Italy, Manhattan, NY D+58
- Orchard District, Bend, OR D+29
- City Center West, Philadelphia, PA D+70
- Portsmouth, Portland, OR D+61
- Vista, Boise, ID D+18
- South Side, Scranton, PA D+16
- Twin Lakes, Federal Way, WA D+28
- Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena, TX D+6
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.