Clay Center leans heavily Republican by roughly 38 points: about 31% of voters vote Democratic and 69% Republican.
About 84% of adults in Clay Center typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Clay Center, ~26% vote Democratic, ~58% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Clay Center compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Clay Center leans more Republican than 38 of 79 neighbors.
Clay Center runs about 27 points more Republican than Ohio as a whole.
Why Clay Center 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 Clay Center, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 86% of residents in Clay Center drive to work alone, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 78% of households in Clay Center are family households, above 84% of cities.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with low food insecurity tend to turn out at a higher rate; Clay Center, OH sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Clay Center looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 97% of adults in Clay Center have completed high school, about 6 points above the Ohio average of 91%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 90% of households in Clay Center own their home, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Genoa, OH R+31
- Millbury, OH R+27
- Martin, OH R+40
- Williston, OH R+39
- Latcha, OH R+39
- Curtice, OH R+35
- Graytown, OH R+41
- Lemoyne, OH R+40
- Northwood, OH R+20
Cities with Similar Populations
- Sims Spring, TN R+71
- East Arcadia, NC D+57
- Blanconia, TX R+53
- Peru, MA R+5
- Cary, ME R+45
- Woodbury, VT D+11
- Gatliff, KY R+81
- Lutts, TN R+79
- Banner, WY R+64
- Toland, PA R+40
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.