Gatlinburg is a Republican stronghold. About 25% of voters here vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Gatlinburg typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Gatlinburg, ~18% vote Democratic, ~53% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Gatlinburg compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Gatlinburg leans more Republican than 5 of 32 neighbors.
Gatlinburg runs about 21 points more Republican than Tennessee as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Gatlinburg. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+58) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+34), a spread of about 25 points.
Why Gatlinburg 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 Gatlinburg, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Gatlinburg votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 31%, modestly above the Tennessee average of 21%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Non-English at home and voter turnout
Places with a low non-English-at-home share tend to turn out at a higher rate; Gatlinburg, TN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Gatlinburg looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Gatlinburg is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Pittman Center, TN R+67
- Pigeon Forge, TN R+52
- Wear Valley, TN R+60
- Sevierville, TN R+58
- Rocky Grove, TN R+69
- Park Settlement, TN R+62
- Cosby, TN R+69
- Catons Grove, TN R+67
- Townsend, TN R+60
- Sandy Ridge, TN R+68
Cities with Similar Populations
- Memphis, IN R+48
- Woodlawn, VA R+63
- Coker, AL R+64
- Laureldale, PA R+6
- Smithton, IL R+45
- Divide, CO R+28
- Stowe, VT D+37
- Ona, WV R+43
- Blue Point, NY R+13
- Roberts, WI R+28
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Tennessee Secretary of State, Division 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.