Jackson County is a Republican stronghold. About 14% of voters here vote Democratic and 86% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Jackson County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Jackson County, ~9% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Jackson County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Jackson County leans more Republican than 20 of 22 neighbors.
Jackson County runs about 42 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Why Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County, about 96% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 10% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 9 points below the Kentucky average of 19%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Jackson County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 7%, below 89% of counties).
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Jackson County, KY sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Jackson County looks the way it does
Turnout in Jackson County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Owsley County, KY R+74
- Rockcastle County, KY R+70
- Lee County, KY R+67
- Clay County, KY R+72
- Estill County, KY R+63
- Laurel County, KY R+63
- Madison County, KY R+26
- Powell County, KY R+60
- Knox County, KY R+65
- Breathitt County, KY R+62
Counties with Similar Populations
- Wright County, IA R+36
- Lincoln County, AR R+41
- Millard County, UT R+69
- Bienville Parish, LA R+16
- Presque Isle County, MI R+36
- Crawford County, MI R+31
- Perquimans County, NC R+34
- Webster County, KY R+58
- Wilbarger County, TX R+45
- Cass County, IL R+31
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.