Willow Island is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Willow Island typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Willow Island, ~14% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Willow Island compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Willow Island leans more Republican than 51 of 106 neighbors.
Willow Island runs about 21 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Why Willow Island 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 Willow Island, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 94% of residents in Willow Island drive to work alone, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Willow Island sits in the bottom quarter (about 8%, below 95% of cities). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 77% of households in Willow Island are family households, above 82% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Willow Island, WV sits in the top 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 Willow Island looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 90% of households in Willow Island own their home, about 9 points above the West Virginia average of 81%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Eureka, WV R+55
- Waverly, WV R+57
- Belmont, WV R+55
- Schultz, WV R+64
- Vaucluse, WV R+57
- Elmwood Heights, WV R+50
- Wade, OH R+61
- Reno, OH R+61
- Boreman, WV R+52
- St. Marys, WV R+57
Cities with Similar Populations
- Allendorf, IA R+65
- Maple River, IA R+55
- Glennon, MO R+71
- Goodwin, AR R+40
- Kelleys Island, OH R+27
- Claire City, SD R+44
- Willow Valley, IN R+66
- Searsburg, VT D+3
- Old Hickory, AR R+63
- Rutland Center, NY R+36
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.