Clayton is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 62% of adults in Clayton typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Clayton, ~15% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Clayton compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Clayton leans more Republican than 1 of 4 neighbors.
Clayton runs about 16 points more Republican than Idaho as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Clayton. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+3) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+61), a spread of about 64 points.
Why Clayton 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 Clayton, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. Fewer than 1% of residents in Clayton live in densely developed areas, about 18 points below the Idaho average of 18%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Clayton, ID sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Clayton looks the way it does
Turnout in Clayton sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Torreys, ID D+3
- Challis, ID R+59
- Patterson, ID R+61
- Ellis, ID R+61
- May, ID R+66
- Stanley, ID D+3
- Mackay, ID R+64
- Obsidian, ID D+10
- Lower Stanley, ID R+17
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lehr, ND R+70
- Perry Mills, NY R+19
- Los Berros, CA R+19
- Merrill, MS R+61
- Tin Cup, TN R+63
- Nay Aug, PA R+7
- Perth, VA R+31
- Center, NE R+48
- Olney, MO R+64
- Pleasant Grove, IA R+50
All Local Stats
Home Services
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Idaho 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.