Fayette County is a Republican stronghold. About 23% of voters here vote Democratic and 77% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Fayette County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Fayette County, ~16% vote Democratic, ~53% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Fayette County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Fayette County leans more Republican than 9 of 18 neighbors.
Fayette County runs about 35 points more Republican than Indiana as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Fayette County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+64) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+47), a spread of about 17 points.
Why Fayette 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 Fayette County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Fayette County, about 94% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 6 points below the Indiana average of 22%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 82% of residents in Fayette County drive to work alone, above 80% of counties.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Fayette County, IN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Fayette County looks the way it does
Turnout in Fayette County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Union County, IN R+58
- Franklin County, IN R+63
- Rush County, IN R+57
- Wayne County, IN R+31
- Henry County, IN R+47
- Preble County, OH R+58
- Decatur County, IN R+54
- Ripley County, IN R+59
- Shelby County, IN R+47
- Dearborn County, IN R+53
Counties with Similar Populations
- Meeker County, MN R+44
- Franklin County, GA R+66
- Starke County, IN R+49
- Pacific County, WA R+5
- Antrim County, MI R+21
- Curry County, OR R+11
- Roscommon County, MI R+26
- Saline County, MO R+36
- Teton County, WY D+16
- Yankton County, SD R+35
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.