Jefferson County is a Democratic stronghold. About 82% of voters here vote Democratic and 18% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Jefferson County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Jefferson County, ~52% vote Democratic, ~11% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Jefferson County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Jefferson County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Jefferson County runs about 86 points more Democratic than Mississippi as a whole. Mississippi leans Republican overall, while Jefferson County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Jefferson County. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+85) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+20), a spread of about 65 points.
Why Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural, majority-Black areas of the Southern Black Belt vote Democratic, against the usual rural pattern. About 85% of residents in Jefferson County are Black or African American, about 49 points above the Mississippi average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 51% of adults in Jefferson County have never been married, in the top fraction of counties. Jefferson County runs against the grain of Mississippi, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Jefferson County, MS sits in the bottom tenth 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 Jefferson County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 81% of households in Jefferson County own their home, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and Jefferson County sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Claiborne County, MS D+61
- Franklin County, MS R+35
- Adams County, MS D+17
- Tensas Parish, LA R+4
- Concordia Parish, LA R+24
- Lincoln County, MS R+37
- Amite County, MS R+29
- Copiah County, MS D+6
- Wilkinson County, MS D+38
- Warren County, MS D+6
Counties with Similar Populations
- Jefferson County, NE R+51
- Grant County, OR R+53
- Grand Isle County, VT Even
- Newton County, AR R+63
- Van Buren County, IA R+55
- Pierce County, NE R+72
- Pepin County, WI R+30
- Lexington City, VA D+10
- Crook County, WY R+78
- Ferry County, WA R+31
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Mississippi 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.