Benton County is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Benton County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Benton County, ~16% vote Democratic, ~64% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Benton County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Benton County leans more Republican than 4 of 12 neighbors.
Benton County runs about 42 points more Republican than Missouri as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Benton County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+66) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+54), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Benton 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 Benton County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Benton County, about 92% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 7 points below the Missouri average of 22%.
Never-married share, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine a low never-married share and a rural land-use pattern tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Benton County, MO does.
Why turnout in Benton County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 84% of households in Benton County own their home, about 5 points above the Missouri average of 78%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Henry County, MO R+54
- Morgan County, MO R+63
- Hickory County, MO R+62
- Pettis County, MO R+43
- St. Clair County, MO R+64
- Camden County, MO R+54
- Johnson County, MO R+35
- Miller County, MO R+64
- Moniteau County, MO R+60
- Dallas County, MO R+66
Counties with Similar Populations
- Los Alamos County, NM D+27
- Cherokee County, KS R+56
- Freestone County, TX R+56
- Polk County, NC R+31
- Marengo County, AL D+3
- Chaffee County, CO D+6
- Jackson County, IA R+35
- Spencer County, KY R+56
- Langlade County, WI R+35
- Adair County, OK R+54
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Missouri Secretary of State, 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.