Idle Hour leans heavily Democratic by roughly 36 points: about 68% of voters vote Democratic and 32% Republican.
About 47% of adults in Idle Hour typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Idle Hour, ~32% vote Democratic, ~15% Republican, and ~53% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Idle Hour compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Idle Hour leans more Democratic than 9 of 17 neighbors.
Idle Hour runs about 66 points more Democratic than Kentucky as a whole. Kentucky leans Republican overall, while Idle Hour is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Idle Hour. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+44) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+27), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Idle Hour leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Idle Hour, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Idle Hour votes against the grain of Kentucky. Kentucky leans Republican overall, while Idle Hour runs about 66 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 47% of adults in Idle Hour have never been married, above 77% of neighborhoods.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Idle Hour, Lexington, KY sits above 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 Idle Hour looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 67% of households in Idle Hour rent, about 42 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Reservorir, Lexington, KY D+21
- Liberty Area, Lexington, KY D+18
- Chevy Chase-Ashland Park, Lexington, KY D+44
- Fairway-Liberty Heights, Lexington, KY D+43
- Eastland Park-Dixie Plantation, Lexington, KY D+17
- Mount Vernon-Hollywood-Montclair, Lexington, KY D+54
- Brookhaven-Lansdowne, Lexington, KY D+25
- University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY D+52
- Southeastern Hills, Lexington, KY D+24
- Downtown Lexington, Lexington, KY D+55
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Broadway Junction, Brooklyn, NY D+65
- Caddo Heights-South Highlands, Shreveport, LA D+31
- North Los Altos, Los Altos, CA D+45
- Deer Park, Newport News, VA D+35
- Woodlawn, Portland, OR D+78
- Sun City Summerlin, Las Vegas, NV D+8
- Larkspur, Bend, OR D+16
- East Price Hill, Cincinnati, OH D+36
- Mount Pleasant, Washington, DC D+83
- Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids, MI D+34
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.