Wake leans heavily Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Wake typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wake, ~28% vote Democratic, ~53% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wake compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Wake leans more Republican than 33 of 84 neighbors.
Wake runs about 36 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Wake is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Wake. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+32) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+20), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Wake 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, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Wake votes against the grain of Virginia. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Wake runs about 36 points more Republican.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Wake, VA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Wake looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Wake 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Topping, VA R+31
- Hartfield, VA R+32
- Hardyville, VA R+24
- Locust Hill, VA R+31
- Deltaville, VA R+29
- Dutton, VA R+35
- Freeport, VA R+42
- Cobbs Creek, VA R+36
- Stormont, VA R+30
Cities with Similar Populations
- Potters Hill, NC R+63
- Hubbardsville, NY R+25
- Willis, OK R+66
- Prinsburg, MN R+66
- St. Johns, IN R+51
- Mariposa, NC R+47
- Ebenezer, TX R+64
- Murdock, MN R+46
- Mill Village, PA R+47
- Grandview, IA R+46
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department 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.