Franklin County is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Franklin County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Franklin County, ~13% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Franklin County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Franklin County leans more Republican than 22 of 23 neighbors.
Franklin County runs about 44 points more Republican than Indiana as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Franklin County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+70) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+55), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Franklin 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 Franklin County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 71% of households in Franklin County are family households, above 82% of counties.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Franklin County, IN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Franklin County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Franklin 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 62%, above 62% of counties. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 82% of households in Franklin County own their home, above 89% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Fayette County, IN R+54
- Union County, IN R+58
- Ripley County, IN R+59
- Dearborn County, IN R+53
- Decatur County, IN R+54
- Rush County, IN R+57
- Butler County, OH R+20
- Wayne County, IN R+31
- Ohio County, IN R+58
- Hamilton County, OH D+21
Counties with Similar Populations
- Columbia County, AR R+18
- Emanuel County, GA R+35
- Allen Parish, LA R+48
- Caswell County, NC R+23
- Klickitat County, WA R+11
- Tattnall County, GA R+43
- Johnson County, KY R+66
- Osceola County, MI R+46
- Rockbridge County, VA R+36
- Ouachita County, AR R+14
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.