Grand Rivers is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Grand Rivers typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Grand Rivers, ~15% vote Democratic, ~60% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Grand Rivers compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Grand Rivers leans more Republican than 25 of 65 neighbors.
Grand Rivers runs about 29 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Grand Rivers. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+66) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+54), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Grand Rivers 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 Grand Rivers, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Grand Rivers, about 98% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 26 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 14 points below the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Grand Rivers, KY sits below the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Grand Rivers looks the way it does
Turnout in Grand Rivers sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lake City, KY R+58
- Iuka, KY R+63
- Suwanee, KY R+57
- Kuttawa, KY R+56
- Tiline, KY R+66
- Gilbertsville, KY R+57
- Calvert City, KY R+54
- Dycusburg, KY R+67
- Smithland, KY R+66
- Possum Trot, KY R+54
Cities with Similar Populations
- Preston, MN R+28
- Kingman, IN R+65
- Wheaton, MN R+38
- Calhoun, TN R+70
- Randolph, MS R+79
- Garyville, LA D+2
- Hastings, FL R+28
- Geraldine, AL R+81
- Cridersville, OH R+56
- Warthen, GA R+21
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky State Board 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.