West Virginia Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in West Virginia

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

West Virginia leans heavily Republican by roughly 40 points: about 30% of voters vote Democratic and 70% Republican.

 

About 64% of adults in West Virginia typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in West Virginia, ~19% vote Democratic, ~45% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How West Virginia compares

Among states within 500 miles, West Virginia is the most Republican-leaning.

Politics vary noticeably by county within West Virginia. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+56) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+30), a spread of about 26 points.

Why West Virginia leans the way it does

This analysis examined 14,881 data points per state to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for West Virginia, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In West Virginia, about 90% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below 98% of states. Rural areas vote Republican, and West Virginia sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 34%, below 98% of states).

Walkability and Republican lean

Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; West Virginia 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 West Virginia looks the way it does

Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 76% of households in West Virginia own their home, in the top fraction of states. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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.