Butler County leans Republican by roughly 28 points: about 36% of voters vote Democratic and 64% Republican.
About 84% of adults in Butler County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Butler County, ~30% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Butler County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Butler County leans more Republican than 7 of 15 neighbors.
Butler County runs about 26 points more Republican than Pennsylvania as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Butler County. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+56) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+14), a spread of about 42 points.
Why Butler County leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Butler County. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
High-school completion and voter turnout
Places with high-school-completion-heavy adults tend to turn out at a higher rate; Butler County, PA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Butler County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Butler County is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Butler County have completed high school, above 95% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Beaver County, PA R+19
- Lawrence County, PA R+28
- Armstrong County, PA R+52
- Allegheny County, PA D+22
- Mercer County, PA R+27
- Clarion County, PA R+50
- Westmoreland County, PA R+26
- Hancock County, WV R+42
- Columbiana County, OH R+45
- Mahoning County, OH Even
Counties with Similar Populations
- Livingston County, MI R+23
- Hernando County, FL R+33
- Ellis County, TX R+31
- Sumner County, TN R+40
- El Dorado County, CA R+13
- Sangamon County, IL Even
- Outagamie County, WI R+13
- Sarpy County, NE R+10
- Minnehaha County, SD R+10
- Saginaw County, MI D+2
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau 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.