Forrest County leans slightly Republican by roughly 6 points: about 47% of voters vote Democratic and 53% Republican.
About 58% of adults in Forrest County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Forrest County, ~27% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Forrest County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Forrest County leans more Republican than 2 of 11 neighbors.
Forrest County runs about 17 points more Democratic than Mississippi as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Forrest County. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+29) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+63), a spread of about 92 points.
Why Forrest 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 Forrest County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Forrest County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 56%, far above the Mississippi average of 15%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Never-married share, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine a never-married-heavy adult population and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Forrest County, MS does.
Why turnout in Forrest County looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 41% of households in Forrest County rent, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 25% of adults in Forrest County report food insecurity, above 89% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Lamar County, MS R+40
- Perry County, MS R+58
- Jones County, MS R+32
- Covington County, MS R+32
- Marion County, MS R+33
- Stone County, MS R+57
- Jefferson Davis County, MS D+6
- Greene County, MS R+53
- Wayne County, MS R+25
- Jasper County, MS D+2
Counties with Similar Populations
- James City County, VA D+8
- Oconee County, SC R+54
- Sullivan County, NY R+11
- Wilson County, NC D+11
- Augusta County, VA R+45
- Lynchburg City, VA D+10
- Cole County, MO R+29
- Chelan County, WA R+12
- Clinton County, MI R+12
- Clallam County, WA D+9
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Mississippi 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.