Spread is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Spread typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Spread, ~10% vote Democratic, ~45% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Spread compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Spread leans more Republican than 85 of 114 neighbors.
Spread runs about 22 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Why Spread 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 Spread, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Spread, about 97% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 12% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 16 points below the U.S. average of 28%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Spread, WV sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Spread looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 38% of households in Spread rent, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 22% of adults in Spread report food insecurity, above 85% of cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Spread sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Clay, WV R+63
- Maysel, WV R+62
- Ivydale, WV R+57
- Wallback, WV R+61
- Valley Fork, WV R+61
- Upper Leatherwood, WV R+66
- O'Brion, WV R+58
- Harrison, WV R+58
- Cressmont, WV R+63
Cities with Similar Populations
- Zetto, GA D+9
- Denver, MO R+66
- Lacon, KY R+63
- Point Pleasant, TN R+70
- Kelso, ND R+38
- Joppa, IN R+52
- Prowers, CO R+60
- Jewettville, NY R+27
- Johannesburg, CA R+36
- Lawn, WV R+57
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from West Virginia 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.