Elk County leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Elk County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Elk County, ~23% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Elk County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Elk County leans more Republican than 2 of 8 neighbors.
Elk County runs about 41 points more Republican than Pennsylvania as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Elk County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+50) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+32), a spread of about 19 points.
Why Elk 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 Elk County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 84% of residents in Elk County drive to work alone, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
High-school completion and voter turnout
Places with high-school-completion-heavy adults tend to turn out at a higher rate; Elk County, PA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Elk County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Elk 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 63%, above 66% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Elk County have completed high school, above 87% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Cameron County, PA R+47
- Jefferson County, PA R+55
- Clearfield County, PA R+46
- McKean County, PA R+43
- Forest County, PA R+24
- Warren County, PA R+41
- Potter County, PA R+58
- Clarion County, PA R+50
- Cattaraugus County, NY R+29
- Centre County, PA D+8
Counties with Similar Populations
- Bolivar County, MS D+34
- Wabash County, IN R+48
- Williamsburg County, SC D+26
- Kleberg County, TX R+6
- Bee County, TX R+22
- Muhlenberg County, KY R+55
- Summit County, CO D+23
- Sheridan County, WY R+47
- Stone County, MO R+55
- Freeborn County, MN R+22
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.