Strafford County is a true toss-up. About 52% of voters here vote Democratic and 48% Republican. These figures are model estimates: New Hampshire did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the numbers above come from demographic and health features rather than local ground truth.
About 77% of adults in Strafford County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Strafford County, ~40% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Strafford County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Strafford County leans more Democratic than 3 of 8 neighbors.
Politically, Strafford County sits close to the rest of New Hampshire.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Strafford County. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+39) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+23), a spread of about 62 points.
Why Strafford County leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Strafford County. None of them point strongly toward either party.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Strafford County, NH sits in the top quarter 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 Strafford County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Strafford County 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 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 95% of adults in Strafford County have completed high school, above 91% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- York County, ME R+2
- Rockingham County, NH D+6
- Belknap County, NH R+8
- Merrimack County, NH D+6
- Hillsborough County, NH D+11
- Carroll County, NH R+2
- Essex County, MA D+18
- Cumberland County, ME D+29
- Middlesex County, MA D+37
- Suffolk County, MA D+53
Counties with Similar Populations
- Black Hawk County, IA D+3
- Tazewell County, IL R+29
- Pickens County, SC R+43
- Madison County, IN R+25
- Rapides Parish, LA R+24
- Kendall County, IL Even
- Washington County, RI D+11
- Sumter County, FL R+31
- Wood County, OH R+11
- Skagit County, WA D+4
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New Hampshire Secretary of State, Elections Division, 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. NH did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the figures here come from extrapolation across demographic, health, and land-use features rather than local ground truth. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.