Waterloo is a Republican stronghold. About 15% of voters here vote Democratic and 85% Republican.
About 58% of adults in Waterloo typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Waterloo, ~9% vote Democratic, ~49% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Waterloo compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Waterloo leans more Republican than 101 of 107 neighbors.
Waterloo runs about 28 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Why Waterloo 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 Waterloo, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Waterloo, about 94% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 10% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 7 points below the West Virginia average of 17%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Waterloo, WV sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Waterloo looks the way it does
Areas with low high-school completion turn out at lower rates. About 81% of adults in Waterloo have completed high school, about 9 points below the U.S. average of 90%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 21% of adults in Waterloo report food insecurity, above 83% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Leon, WV R+68
- Capehart, WV R+70
- Gunville, WV R+70
- Southside, WV R+62
- Baden, WV R+70
- Elmwood, WV R+68
- Robertsburg, WV R+63
- Greer, WV R+59
- Buffalo, WV R+57
Cities with Similar Populations
- Glen Echo Park, MO D+47
- Gifford, IA R+49
- Briggsdale, CO R+72
- Amherst, CO R+71
- Seward, OH R+55
- Petran, MN R+40
- Wolftown, VA R+40
- Pinkston, NC D+7
- Park, KS R+83
- Ano, KY R+75
All Local Stats
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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.