Howard County leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Howard County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Howard County, ~22% vote Democratic, ~44% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Howard County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Howard County leans more Republican than 5 of 10 neighbors.
Politically, Howard County sits close to the rest of Arkansas.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Howard County. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+3) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+78), a spread of about 81 points.
Why Howard 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 Howard County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 17% of adults in Howard County hold a bachelor's degree, about 12 points below the U.S. average of 28%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Howard County, AR sits below the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Howard County looks the way it does
Turnout in Howard County sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Pike County, AR R+69
- Sevier County, AR R+50
- Little River County, AR R+45
- Hempstead County, AR R+18
- Nevada County, AR R+27
- Miller County, AR R+26
- Montgomery County, AR R+67
- Bowie County, TX R+29
- Polk County, AR R+63
- Clark County, AR R+18
Counties with Similar Populations
- Vinton County, OH R+58
- Meigs County, TN R+72
- Bath County, KY R+61
- Amite County, MS R+29
- Tallahatchie County, MS D+20
- Wilbarger County, TX R+45
- Choctaw County, AL R+22
- Caldwell County, KY R+56
- Lincoln County, AR R+41
- Wright County, IA R+36
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Arkansas 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.