Holmes County is a Republican stronghold. About 14% of voters here vote Democratic and 86% Republican.
About 58% of adults in Holmes County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Holmes County, ~8% vote Democratic, ~50% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Holmes County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Holmes County is the most Republican-leaning.
Holmes County runs about 61 points more Republican than Ohio as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Holmes County. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+78) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+67), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Holmes 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 Holmes County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Holmes County, about 97% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 25 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 10% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 13 points below the Ohio average of 23%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Holmes County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 12%, below 79% of counties). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 81% of households in Holmes County are family households, in the top fraction of counties.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Holmes County, OH 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 Holmes County looks the way it does
Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout. About 4% of homes in Holmes County have more than one occupant per room, above 87% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Wayne County, OH R+42
- Coshocton County, OH R+54
- Tuscarawas County, OH R+48
- Ashland County, OH R+50
- Stark County, OH R+18
- Knox County, OH R+48
- Richland County, OH R+27
- Carroll County, OH R+55
- Medina County, OH R+25
- Guernsey County, OH R+50
Counties with Similar Populations
- Shenandoah County, VA R+44
- Ravalli County, MT R+43
- Kendall County, TX R+49
- Callaway County, MO R+43
- Lawrence County, TN R+68
- Douglas County, WI Even
- Delaware County, NY R+17
- Kittitas County, WA R+8
- Huntingdon County, PA R+46
- Siskiyou County, CA R+17
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.