Union County leans Republican by roughly 20 points: about 40% of voters vote Democratic and 60% Republican.
About 86% of adults in Union County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Union County, ~34% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~14% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Union County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Union County leans more Republican than 6 of 13 neighbors.
Union County runs about 17 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Union County. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+6) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+63), a spread of about 69 points.
Why Union County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Union County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 79% of households in Union County are family households, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 67%. Dense places usually vote Democratic, but Union County runs against that pattern.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Union County, NC sits in the top 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 Union County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Union 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 82% of households in Union County own their home, above 86% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Lancaster County, SC R+23
- Mecklenburg County, NC D+35
- York County, SC R+17
- Cabarrus County, NC R+7
- Anson County, NC Even
- Stanly County, NC R+47
- Gaston County, NC R+18
- Chester County, SC R+16
- Chesterfield County, SC R+28
- Rowan County, NC R+27
Counties with Similar Populations
- Norfolk City, VA D+44
- Arlington County, VA D+57
- Caddo Parish, LA D+18
- Sussex County, DE R+12
- Yavapai County, AZ R+22
- Henry County, GA D+26
- Saratoga County, NY Even
- Hays County, TX D+4
- Lafayette Parish, LA R+23
- Warren County, OH R+30
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.