Wattsville leans heavily Republican by roughly 50 points: about 25% of voters vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Wattsville typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wattsville, ~16% vote Democratic, ~49% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wattsville compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Wattsville leans more Republican than 25 of 53 neighbors.
Wattsville runs about 32 points more Republican than South Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Wattsville. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+66) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+10), a spread of about 56 points.
Why Wattsville 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 Wattsville, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 89% of residents in Wattsville drive to work alone, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Wattsville sits in the bottom quarter (about 15%, below 76% of cities).
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with high food insecurity tend to turn out at a lower rate; Wattsville, SC sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Wattsville looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Wattsville is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Laurens, SC R+17
- Goodwins Crossroads, SC R+58
- Lydia Mills, SC R+9
- Lanford, SC R+54
- Maddens, SC R+49
- Clinton, SC R+18
- Gray Court, SC R+56
- Enoree, SC R+62
- Cross Anchor, SC R+66
- Kilgore, SC R+69
Cities with Similar Populations
- Dogwood, TN R+62
- Crawford, WV R+63
- Hobson, MO R+70
- Alverda, PA R+61
- Mc Lean, NY R+4
- Bar Mills, ME R+4
- Cameron Mills, NY R+62
- Tranquillity, TN R+72
- Georgetown, NY R+44
- Dalton, NE R+73
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, 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.