Waynesboro City leans slightly Republican by roughly 8 points: about 46% of voters vote Democratic and 54% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Waynesboro City typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Waynesboro City, ~36% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Waynesboro City compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Waynesboro City leans more Republican than 6 of 21 neighbors.
Waynesboro City runs about 15 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Waynesboro City is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Waynesboro City. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+15) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+4), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Waynesboro City 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 Waynesboro City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Waynesboro City votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 83%, far above the Virginia average of 26%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Waynesboro City runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Waynesboro City, VA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Waynesboro City looks the way it does
Turnout in Waynesboro City sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Augusta County, VA R+45
- Staunton City, VA Even
- Nelson County, VA R+22
- Albemarle County, VA D+24
- Charlottesville City, VA D+60
- Harrisonburg City, VA D+18
- Rockingham County, VA R+40
- Greene County, VA R+26
- Buena Vista City, VA R+35
- Fluvanna County, VA R+16
Counties with Similar Populations
- Mahaska County, IA R+38
- Meigs County, OH R+58
- Lee County, VA R+64
- Grant Parish, LA R+77
- Sabine Parish, LA R+55
- Limestone County, TX R+40
- Saunders County, NE R+46
- Asotin County, WA R+29
- Nobles County, MN R+28
- Bibb County, AL R+57
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.