Wake Forest leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 95% of adults in Wake Forest typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wake Forest, ~52% vote Democratic, ~43% Republican, and ~5% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wake Forest compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Wake Forest leans more Democratic than 34 of 46 neighbors.
Wake Forest runs about 12 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Wake Forest is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Wake Forest. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+23) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+9), a spread of about 33 points.
Why Wake Forest 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 Wake Forest, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 58% of adults in Wake Forest hold a bachelor's degree, about 29 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Wake Forest sits in the top fifth on density (about 58%, above 89% of cities). Wake Forest runs against the grain of North Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Wake Forest, 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 Wake Forest looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Wake Forest 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Wake Forest have completed high school, above 88% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Rolesville, NC D+8
- Youngsville, NC R+25
- Grissom, NC R+27
- Franklinton, NC R+10
- Raleigh, NC D+18
- Katesville, NC D+29
- Creedmoor, NC R+9
- Knightdale, NC D+34
- Wilton, NC R+31
- North Side, NC R+7
Cities with Similar Populations
- Mount Vernon, NY D+69
- Lodi, CA R+8
- Bolingbrook, IL D+29
- Highland, CA D+6
- Rockville, MD D+50
- Salisbury, NC R+14
- Bossier City, LA R+16
- Fort Pierce, FL D+4
- Rocklin, CA R+9
- South Hill, WA Even
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.