Haywood County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Haywood County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Haywood County, ~34% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Haywood County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Haywood County leans more Democratic than 13 of 14 neighbors.
Haywood County runs about 43 points more Democratic than Tennessee as a whole. Tennessee leans Republican overall, while Haywood County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Haywood County. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+37) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+32), a spread of about 70 points.
Why Haywood 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 Haywood County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Haywood County votes against the grain of Tennessee. Tennessee leans Republican overall, while Haywood County runs about 43 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 37% of adults in Haywood County have never been married, above 89% of counties.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with renter-heavy households tend to turn out at a lower rate; Haywood County, TN sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Haywood County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Haywood County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 48%, about 8 points below the Tennessee average of 56%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 39% of households in Haywood County rent, above 92% of counties. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 83% of adults in Haywood County have completed high school, below 86% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Crockett County, TN R+57
- Lauderdale County, TN R+23
- Madison County, TN R+2
- Tipton County, TN R+47
- Hardeman County, TN R+14
- Fayette County, TN R+33
- Gibson County, TN R+44
- Dyer County, TN R+47
- Chester County, TN R+61
- Mississippi County, AR R+10
Counties with Similar Populations
- Gilchrist County, FL R+68
- Young County, TX R+66
- Attala County, MS R+13
- Schuyler County, NY R+23
- King William County, VA R+38
- Avery County, NC R+52
- Unicoi County, TN R+57
- Bertie County, NC D+19
- Kalkaska County, MI R+42
- San Juan County, WA D+50
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.