Now that we’re headed towards the next big election, we wanted to get a better sense of what parts of Virginia would be the most likely to back Donald Trump again.
Specifically, which cities have the highest number of conservative voters in the Old Dominion?
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to measure how each city in Virginia with populations greater than 5,000 voted in past elections. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted Republican were named the most conservative cities in the state.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 most conservative places in Virginia for 2024
If you’re wondering, Petersburg is the most liberal city in Virginia of all those we measured.
And to be clear, we didn’t form this list based on our own biases — we relied on the cold hard data. For more on how we ran the numbers, keep on reading. Then we’ll take a closer look at each of our top 10 most conservative cities in Virginia.
Additional reading about Virginia and the most conservative places in the country:
The 10 Most Conservative Places In Virginia For 2024
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Percent Republican: 83.0%
More on Richlands: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 80.4%
More on Big Stone Gap: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 77.8%
More on Wytheville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 77.6%
More on Marion: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 75.6%
More on Abingdon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 71.3%
More on Poquoson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 69.8%
More on Pulaski: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 69.6%
More on Galax: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 69.5%
More on Woodstock: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How we determined the most conservative cities in Virginia for 2024
To find the most conservative places in Virginia, we used Saturday Night Science – the argument you’d make at a bar – to find the cities with the most conservatives.
We started by making a list of every city in Virginia over 5,000 people based on the 2018-2022 American Community Survey. That left us with 62 cities and towns.
We then measured the voting record and MIT election data to determine which places rock the most rightward in their allegiances by:
- Percentage Of Votes For The Republican President In 2020
Because no voting data exists at the city level, we used county-level election results from the 2020 election. We assigned every city in a county the percentage of votes that went to the Republicans, effectively extending the county’s results to the city level. In cases where larger cities encompassed an entire county, the election outcomes accurately reflected the city’s political landscape.
Next, we ranked each city from 1 to 62 for each criterion, where number one was the most conservative.
The winner, Bluefield, is “The Most Conservative City in Virginia For 2024”. The most liberal place in Virginia was Petersburg.
We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the most conservative places to live in Virginia.
Summing Up The Conservative Strongholds in Virginia
Well, there you have it, the places in Virginia that have the highest number of conservatives per capita, with Bluefield ranking as the most conservative in the entire state.
The most conservative cities in Virginia are Bluefield, Richlands, Big Stone Gap, Wytheville, Marion, Abingdon, Poquoson, Pulaski, Galax, and Woodstock.
If you’re curious, here are the least conservative cities in Virginia:
- Petersburg
- Charlottesville
- Richmond
For more Virginia reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Virginia
- Cheapest Places To Live In Virginia
- Most Dangerous Cities In Virginia
- Richest Cities In Virginia
- Safest Places In Virginia
- Worst Cities In Virginia For 2017
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Virginia
Most Conservative Places In Virginia
| Rank | City | Population | % Conservative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bluefield, VA | 5,059 | 83.0% |
| 2 | Richlands, VA | 5,266 | 83.0% |
| 3 | Big Stone Gap, VA | 5,221 | 80.4% |
| 4 | Wytheville, VA | 8,228 | 77.8% |
| 5 | Marion, VA | 5,722 | 77.6% |
| 6 | Abingdon, VA | 8,346 | 75.6% |
| 7 | Poquoson, VA | 12,479 | 71.3% |
| 8 | Pulaski, VA | 8,982 | 69.8% |
| 9 | Galax, VA | 6,687 | 69.6% |
| 10 | Woodstock, VA | 5,798 | 69.5% |
| 11 | Strasburg, VA | 7,104 | 69.5% |
| 12 | Bridgewater, VA | 6,575 | 69.3% |
| 13 | Bristol, VA | 17,036 | 68.4% |
| 14 | Buena Vista, VA | 6,639 | 67.1% |
| 15 | Front Royal, VA | 15,064 | 66.5% |
| 16 | Colonial Heights, VA | 18,158 | 65.6% |
| 17 | Ashland, VA | 7,617 | 62.4% |
| 18 | Covington, VA | 5,722 | 60.7% |
| 19 | Vinton, VA | 8,045 | 59.9% |
| 20 | Culpeper, VA | 20,105 | 59.1% |
| 21 | Salem, VA | 25,372 | 58.9% |
| 22 | Smithfield, VA | 8,625 | 58.4% |
| 23 | Warrenton, VA | 10,111 | 57.5% |
| 24 | South Boston, VA | 7,942 | 57.1% |
| 25 | Farmville, VA | 7,647 | 56.8% |
| 26 | Waynesboro, VA | 22,341 | 51.4% |
| 27 | Lynchburg, VA | 79,166 | 47.0% |
| 28 | Virginia Beach, VA | 457,900 | 46.1% |
| 29 | Blacksburg, VA | 45,147 | 45.8% |
| 30 | Christiansburg, VA | 22,947 | 45.8% |
| 31 | Chesapeake, VA | 249,377 | 45.7% |
| 32 | Radford, VA | 16,379 | 44.1% |
| 33 | Staunton, VA | 25,581 | 43.8% |
| 34 | Winchester, VA | 28,103 | 43.1% |
| 35 | Hopewell, VA | 23,046 | 41.8% |
| 36 | Suffolk, VA | 94,856 | 40.5% |
| 37 | Danville, VA | 42,507 | 38.2% |
| 38 | Manassas, VA | 42,620 | 36.8% |
| 39 | Franklin, VA | 8,194 | 36.6% |
| 40 | Leesburg, VA | 48,465 | 36.5% |
| 41 | Purcellville, VA | 8,928 | 36.5% |
| 42 | Roanoke, VA | 99,213 | 36.0% |
| 43 | Martinsville, VA | 13,539 | 35.9% |
| 44 | Dumfries, VA | 5,697 | 35.6% |
| 45 | Lexington, VA | 7,346 | 32.8% |
| 46 | Harrisonburg, VA | 51,784 | 32.7% |
| 47 | Manassas Park, VA | 17,123 | 32.5% |
| 48 | Newport News, VA | 185,118 | 32.5% |
| 49 | Emporia, VA | 5,680 | 31.6% |
| 50 | Fredericksburg, VA | 28,258 | 31.4% |
| 51 | Fairfax, VA | 24,242 | 29.7% |
| 52 | Portsmouth, VA | 97,384 | 28.6% |
| 53 | Williamsburg, VA | 15,486 | 28.5% |
| 54 | Vienna, VA | 16,401 | 28.0% |
| 55 | Herndon, VA | 24,456 | 28.0% |
| 56 | Hampton, VA | 137,217 | 27.9% |
| 57 | Norfolk, VA | 236,973 | 26.1% |
| 58 | Alexandria, VA | 157,594 | 17.6% |
| 59 | Falls Church, VA | 14,576 | 16.9% |
| 60 | Richmond, VA | 227,171 | 14.9% |
| 61 | Charlottesville, VA | 46,289 | 12.8% |
| 62 | Petersburg, VA | 33,261 | 11.2% |