Buchanan County leans Republican by roughly 24 points: about 38% of voters vote Democratic and 62% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Buchanan County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Buchanan County, ~25% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Buchanan County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Buchanan County leans more Republican than 4 of 17 neighbors.
Buchanan County runs about 5 points more Republican than Missouri as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Buchanan County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+51) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+15), a spread of about 37 points.
Why Buchanan 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 Buchanan County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Buchanan County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 74%, far above the Missouri average of 22%). 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; Buchanan County, MO sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Buchanan County looks the way it does
Turnout in Buchanan County sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Andrew County, MO R+50
- Doniphan County, KS R+58
- Atchison County, KS R+34
- DeKalb County, MO R+57
- Clinton County, MO R+48
- Holt County, MO R+61
- Platte County, MO R+5
- Leavenworth County, KS R+20
- Gentry County, MO R+63
- Clay County, MO R+7
Counties with Similar Populations
- Orange County, TX R+59
- Jefferson County, WI R+21
- Glynn County, GA R+14
- Cascade County, MT R+25
- Wood County, WV R+41
- Orangeburg County, SC D+28
- Chemung County, NY R+14
- Newport County, RI D+23
- Crawford County, PA R+39
- Dougherty County, GA D+48
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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.