West Side leans heavily Democratic by roughly 44 points: about 72% of voters vote Democratic and 28% Republican.
About 52% of adults in West Side typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in West Side, ~38% vote Democratic, ~14% Republican, and ~48% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How West Side compares
West Side sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable neighborhoods nearby.
West Side runs about 85 points more Democratic than West Virginia as a whole. West Virginia leans Republican overall, while West Side is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within West Side. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+55) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+31), a spread of about 24 points.
Why West Side leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for West Side, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
West Side votes against the grain of West Virginia. West Virginia leans Republican overall, while West Side runs about 85 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 53% of adults in West Side have never been married, above 86% of neighborhoods.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; West Side, Charleston, WV sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in West Side looks the way it does
High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, mostly because the housing stress common in those areas makes voting harder. West Side sits in the top 15% nationally on a violent-crime measure. See CrimeGrade for more details. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 31% of adults in West Side report food insecurity, above 84% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- East End, Charleston, WV D+44
- South Ruffner, Charleston, WV D+24
- Southside, Huntington, WV D+31
- West Huntington, Huntington, WV R+13
- Rankin Historic District, Ironton, OH R+24
- Beechwood, Parkersburg, WV R+25
- Glenbrook, Vienna, WV R+29
- 6th Ward, Portsmouth, OH R+46
- Marietta Historic District, Marietta, OH Even
- 4th Ward, Portsmouth, OH R+25
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Cameron Park, Billings, MT R+9
- Pendleton Heights, Kansas City, MO D+62
- Reagan, San Angelo, TX R+20
- Country Isles, Weston, FL Even
- Lasell Village, Auburndale, MA D+57
- Pill Hill, Chicago, IL D+85
- University South, Palo Alto, CA D+66
- Wooster Public Square Historic District, Wooster, OH R+16
- Samish Hill, Bellingham, WA D+56
- Milroy Farms, Houston, TX D+43
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.