Wrightsville Beach leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 97% of adults in Wrightsville Beach typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wrightsville Beach, ~43% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~3% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wrightsville Beach compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Wrightsville Beach leans more Republican than 8 of 35 neighbors.
Wrightsville Beach runs about 8 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Wrightsville Beach. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+17) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+5), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Wrightsville Beach 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 Wrightsville Beach, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Wrightsville Beach votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 43%, well above the North Carolina average of 27%). Here an older population outweighs the Democratic lean that density usually predicts.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Wrightsville Beach, NC sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Wrightsville Beach looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Wrightsville Beach is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 79%, about 19 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in Wrightsville Beach have completed high school, in the top fraction of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Wilmington, NC D+8
- Kings Grant, NC R+4
- Murraysville, NC Even
- Myrtle Grove, NC R+16
- Blue Clay Farms, NC R+13
- Castle Hayne, NC R+13
- Belville, NC R+16
- Navassa, NC D+5
- Carolina Beach, NC R+11
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lexington, TX R+73
- Freeville, NY D+22
- Boonville, NY R+43
- Forestdale, MA Even
- McGehee, AR R+6
- Locust Grove, OK R+54
- Montgomery, MN R+36
- Franktown, CO R+34
- South Paris, ME R+18
- Brockway, PA R+48
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.