Clay County is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Clay County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Clay County, ~18% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Clay County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Clay County leans more Republican than 10 of 15 neighbors.
Clay County runs about 33 points more Republican than Indiana as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Clay County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+62) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+46), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Clay 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 Clay County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 82% of residents in Clay County drive to work alone, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 71% of households in Clay County are family households, above 83% of counties.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with homeowner-heavy households tend to turn out at a higher rate; Clay County, IN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Clay County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Clay 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 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 81% of households in Clay County own their home, above 84% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Vigo County, IN R+12
- Putnam County, IN R+46
- Owen County, IN R+57
- Parke County, IN R+59
- Vermillion County, IN R+50
- Sullivan County, IN R+49
- Greene County, IN R+55
- Edgar County, IL R+50
- Clark County, IL R+53
- Monroe County, IN D+29
Counties with Similar Populations
- Decatur County, IN R+54
- Mille Lacs County, MN R+42
- Grayson County, KY R+63
- Ashe County, NC R+47
- Lewis County, NY R+48
- Cass County, NE R+42
- Carter County, KY R+61
- Geneva County, AL R+74
- Oceana County, MI R+28
- Marlboro County, SC D+9
All Local Stats
Home Services
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Indiana 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.