Breathitt County is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 62% of adults in Breathitt County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Breathitt County, ~12% vote Democratic, ~50% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Breathitt County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Breathitt County leans more Republican than 8 of 22 neighbors.
Breathitt County runs about 32 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Breathitt County. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+71) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+55), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Breathitt 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 Breathitt 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 Breathitt County, about 96% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 13 points below the U.S. average of 28%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Breathitt County, KY sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Breathitt County looks the way it does
Turnout in Breathitt County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Wolfe County, KY R+57
- Owsley County, KY R+74
- Lee County, KY R+67
- Perry County, KY R+61
- Magoffin County, KY R+67
- Knott County, KY R+67
- Leslie County, KY R+76
- Morgan County, KY R+64
- Clay County, KY R+72
- Menifee County, KY R+64
Counties with Similar Populations
- Morgan County, KY R+64
- Callahan County, TX R+69
- Chowan County, NC R+12
- Converse County, WY R+66
- Winn Parish, LA R+44
- Washington County, IL R+53
- Union County, KY R+56
- Glacier County, MT D+32
- Stewart County, TN R+67
- Calhoun County, FL R+59
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.