Athens is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Athens typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Athens, ~16% vote Democratic, ~49% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Athens compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Athens leans more Republican than 1 of 71 neighbors.
Athens runs about 23 points more Republican than Tennessee as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Athens. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+68) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+39), a spread of about 29 points.
Why Athens 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 Athens, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Athens votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 46%, well above the Tennessee average of 21%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Athens, TN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Athens looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Athens 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 Cities
- Clearwater, TN R+72
- Riceville, TN R+68
- Englewood, TN R+68
- Niota, TN R+71
- Nonaburg, TN R+71
- Williamsburg, TN R+66
- Union Grove, TN R+67
- South Liberty, TN R+70
Cities with Similar Populations
- Willmar, MN R+15
- Carney, MD D+14
- DeBary, FL R+24
- Bedford, IN R+47
- Santa Fe, TX R+56
- Selma, AL D+53
- Little River, SC R+34
- Chagrin Falls, OH R+5
- Allston, MA D+67
- Boaz, AL R+71
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Tennessee Secretary of State, Division 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.