Sweetgum is a Republican stronghold. About 21% of voters here vote Democratic and 79% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Sweetgum typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sweetgum, ~14% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sweetgum compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sweetgum leans more Republican than 26 of 41 neighbors.
Sweetgum runs about 55 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Why Sweetgum 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 Sweetgum, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 4% of residents in Sweetgum live in densely developed areas, about 23 points below the North Carolina average of 27%.
Never-married share, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine a low never-married share and a rural land-use pattern tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Sweetgum, NC does.
Why turnout in Sweetgum looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 92% of households in Sweetgum own their home, about 18 points above the North Carolina average of 74%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Milltown, NC R+61
- Robbinsville, NC R+62
- Andrews, NC R+48
- Rhodo, NC R+54
- Santeetlah, NC R+61
- Lake Santeetlah, NC R+64
- Coalville, NC R+61
- Yellow Creek, NC R+63
- Topton, NC R+52
- Fontana Dam, NC R+63
Cities with Similar Populations
- Woodleaf, CA R+11
- Scullton, PA R+63
- Cundiff, TX R+80
- Snow Hill, IN R+61
- Lamona, WA R+61
- Geneva, ID R+73
- Payne, IA R+47
- Good Spring, PA R+60
- New Marlboro, MA D+26
- Union Gap, OR R+37
All Local Stats
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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.