Buchanan is a Republican stronghold. About 16% of voters here vote Democratic and 84% Republican.
About 54% of adults in Buchanan typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Buchanan, ~9% vote Democratic, ~45% Republican, and ~46% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Buchanan compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Buchanan leans more Republican than 68 of 96 neighbors.
Buchanan runs about 38 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Why Buchanan 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 Buchanan, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 96% of residents in Buchanan drive to work alone, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high white share with below-average college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Buchanan fits that profile on both counts.
High-school completion and voter turnout
Places with low high-school-completion share tend to turn out at a lower rate; Buchanan, KY sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Buchanan looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Buchanan is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 45%, about 9 points below the Kentucky average of 54%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Prichard, WV R+66
- Lockwood, KY R+61
- Hubbardstown, WV R+69
- Fallsburg, KY R+68
- Five Forks, KY R+65
- Mavity, KY R+57
- Echo, WV R+67
- Rush, KY R+63
- Catlettsburg, KY R+53
- Shoals, WV R+54
Cities with Similar Populations
- Potlatch, WA Even
- Simmons, MO R+68
- Byrneville, FL R+47
- Mount Denson, TN R+58
- Dale, SC D+40
- Marvin, SD R+58
- Pearson, WI R+37
- South Sebec, ME R+40
- Salado, AZ R+56
- Cedar Ledge, PA R+64
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.