Houston County is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Houston County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Houston County, ~11% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Houston County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Houston County leans more Republican than 10 of 14 neighbors.
Houston County runs about 34 points more Republican than Tennessee as a whole.
Why Houston 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 Houston County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 14% of adults in Houston County hold a bachelor's degree, about 8 points below the Tennessee average of 22%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Houston County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 8%, below 87% of counties).
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Houston County, TN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Houston County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 81% of households in Houston County own their home, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Stewart County, TN R+67
- Humphreys County, TN R+60
- Dickson County, TN R+55
- Montgomery County, TN R+16
- Benton County, TN R+64
- Henry County, TN R+55
- Hickman County, TN R+67
- Cheatham County, TN R+55
- Christian County, KY R+21
- Trigg County, KY R+56
Counties with Similar Populations
- Prairie County, AR R+64
- Atkinson County, GA R+57
- Hickory County, MO R+62
- Nevada County, AR R+27
- Tyler County, WV R+61
- Custer County, SD R+53
- Choctaw County, MS R+37
- Rosebud County, MT R+20
- Keith County, NE R+60
- Lafayette County, FL R+65
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.