Boone County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Boone County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Boone County, ~39% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Boone County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Boone County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Boone County runs about 33 points more Democratic than Missouri as a whole. Missouri leans Republican overall, while Boone County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Boone County. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+29) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+28), a spread of about 57 points.
Why Boone 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 Boone County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 52% of adults in Boone County hold a bachelor's degree, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Boone County sits in the top fifth on density (about 59%, above 84% of counties). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 42% of adults in Boone County have never been married, above 95% of counties.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Boone County, MO sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Boone County looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 96% of adults in Boone County have completed high school, about 6 points above the Missouri average of 89%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Callaway County, MO R+43
- Howard County, MO R+48
- Cooper County, MO R+46
- Moniteau County, MO R+60
- Cole County, MO R+29
- Audrain County, MO R+48
- Randolph County, MO R+49
- Osage County, MO R+70
- Monroe County, MO R+57
- Montgomery County, MO R+56
Counties with Similar Populations
- Cass County, ND R+5
- Medina County, OH R+25
- Shasta County, CA R+30
- DeSoto County, MS R+15
- Ulster County, NY D+16
- Kent County, DE D+5
- Peoria County, IL D+14
- Newport News City, VA D+38
- Tippecanoe County, IN D+9
- Kanawha County, WV R+19
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.