Wilson County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Wilson County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wilson County, ~41% vote Democratic, ~33% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wilson County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Wilson County leans more Democratic than 7 of 13 neighbors.
Wilson County runs about 14 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Wilson County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Wilson County. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+61) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+39), a spread of about 100 points.
Why Wilson 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 Wilson County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting. Non-Hispanic white share in Wilson County is about 46%, about 27 points below the U.S. average of 72%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 34% of adults in Wilson County have never been married, above 79% of counties. Wilson County runs against the grain of North Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Wilson County, NC sits above the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Wilson County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Wilson County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Nash County, NC D+3
- Edgecombe County, NC D+26
- Greene County, NC R+15
- Wayne County, NC R+7
- Johnston County, NC R+21
- Franklin County, NC R+18
- Pitt County, NC D+17
- Lenoir County, NC Even
- Wake County, NC D+28
- Halifax County, NC D+22
Counties with Similar Populations
- Sullivan County, NY R+11
- Oconee County, SC R+54
- Lynchburg City, VA D+10
- Chelan County, WA R+12
- Clinton County, MI R+12
- James City County, VA D+8
- Forrest County, MS R+6
- Bedford County, VA R+43
- Hancock County, IN R+36
- Clinton County, NY R+5
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Carolina State Board 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.