Centre County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 8 points: about 54% of voters vote Democratic and 46% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Centre County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Centre County, ~41% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Centre County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Centre County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Centre County runs about 9 points more Democratic than Pennsylvania as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Centre County. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+34) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+52), a spread of about 87 points.
Why Centre 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 Centre County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 48% of adults in Centre County hold a bachelor's degree, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Centre County sits in the top fifth on density (about 57%, above 83% of counties). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 45% of adults in Centre County have never been married, above 97% of counties.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Centre County, PA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Centre County looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 95% of adults in Centre County have completed high school, about 5 points above the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Mifflin County, PA R+58
- Clinton County, PA R+46
- Huntingdon County, PA R+46
- Juniata County, PA R+62
- Clearfield County, PA R+46
- Blair County, PA R+37
- Snyder County, PA R+50
- Perry County, PA R+52
- Union County, PA R+26
- Cameron County, PA R+47
Counties with Similar Populations
- Sullivan County, TN R+50
- Schenectady County, NY D+17
- Stearns County, MN R+21
- Martin County, FL R+25
- Fairfield County, OH R+23
- Bibb County, GA D+33
- Rankin County, MS R+42
- Stafford County, VA D+6
- Alexandria City, VA D+55
- Indian River County, FL R+21
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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.