Upshur County is a Republican stronghold. About 23% of voters here vote Democratic and 77% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Upshur County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Upshur County, ~14% vote Democratic, ~49% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Upshur County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Upshur County leans more Republican than 6 of 16 neighbors.
Upshur County runs about 13 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Upshur County. The south side is the most Republican-leaning (R+69) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+33), a spread of about 36 points.
Why Upshur 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 Upshur County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Upshur County, about 92% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 10 points below the U.S. average of 28%.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with homeowner-heavy households tend to turn out at a higher rate; Upshur County, WV sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Upshur County looks the way it does
Turnout in Upshur County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Lewis County, WV R+57
- Barbour County, WV R+60
- Randolph County, WV R+51
- Harrison County, WV R+41
- Taylor County, WV R+55
- Gilmer County, WV R+40
- Braxton County, WV R+57
- Doddridge County, WV R+69
- Tucker County, WV R+50
- Webster County, WV R+68
Counties with Similar Populations
- Aransas County, TX R+46
- Anderson County, KY R+50
- Ohio County, KY R+63
- Itawamba County, MS R+76
- Saline County, IL R+50
- Page County, VA R+53
- Iowa County, WI R+11
- Hood River County, OR D+24
- Shelby County, TX R+54
- Mingo County, WV R+71
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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.