Wayne County is a Republican stronghold. About 23% of voters here vote Democratic and 77% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Wayne County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wayne County, ~15% vote Democratic, ~49% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wayne County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Wayne County leans more Republican than 7 of 20 neighbors.
Wayne County runs about 13 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Wayne County. The south side is the most Republican-leaning (R+71) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+33), a spread of about 39 points.
Why Wayne 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County, about 96% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 24 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%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 82% of residents in Wayne County drive to work alone, above 84% of counties.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Wayne County, WV sits in the bottom quarter 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 Wayne County looks the way it does
Turnout in Wayne County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Cabell County, WV R+19
- Boyd County, KY R+38
- Lawrence County, KY R+67
- Lawrence County, OH R+50
- Lincoln County, WV R+65
- Greenup County, KY R+52
- Carter County, KY R+61
- Martin County, KY R+74
- Putnam County, WV R+46
- Elliott County, KY R+57
Counties with Similar Populations
- Crawford County, KS R+28
- Oconto County, WI R+40
- Douglas County, MN R+36
- Mayes County, OK R+56
- Union County, AR R+20
- Des Moines County, IA R+8
- Jim Wells County, TX R+14
- Webster County, MO R+64
- Person County, NC R+24
- Fremont County, WY R+32
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.