Bear Branch is a Republican stronghold. About 10% of voters here vote Democratic and 90% Republican.
About 44% of adults in Bear Branch typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bear Branch, ~4% vote Democratic, ~39% Republican, and ~57% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bear Branch compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Bear Branch leans more Republican than 91 of 110 neighbors.
Bear Branch runs about 49 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Why Bear Branch 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 Bear Branch, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 4% of residents in Bear Branch live in densely developed areas, about 14 points below the Kentucky average of 18%. A high white share with below-average college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Bear Branch fits that profile on both counts.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Bear Branch, KY sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Bear Branch looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Bear Branch is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 77% of adults in Bear Branch have completed high school, below 94% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Jason, KY R+79
- Sizerock, KY R+78
- Peabody, KY R+81
- Hyden, KY R+72
- Panco, KY R+81
- Hector, KY R+78
- Stinnett, KY R+74
- Spring Creek, KY R+77
- Big Creek, KY R+81
- Oneida, KY R+79
Cities with Similar Populations
- Aladdin, WY R+80
- Shelbyville, AR R+69
- Lobeco, SC D+3
- Osborne Creek, MS R+83
- Locust Bayou, AR R+77
- Merit, MS R+8
- Belgrade, NE R+69
- Ira, NY R+40
- Streeter, ND R+62
- Stringtown, IN R+46
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky 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.