Jonesboro leans Republican by roughly 18 points: about 41% of voters vote Democratic and 59% Republican.
About 58% of adults in Jonesboro typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Jonesboro, ~24% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Jonesboro compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Jonesboro is the least Republican-leaning.
Jonesboro runs about 13 points more Democratic than Arkansas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Jonesboro. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+11) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+45), a spread of about 56 points.
Why Jonesboro leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Jonesboro, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Jonesboro votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 67%, far above the Arkansas average of 13%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Never-married share, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine a never-married-heavy adult population and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Jonesboro, AR does.
Why turnout in Jonesboro looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 42% of households in Jonesboro rent, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and Jonesboro sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 21% of adults in Jonesboro report food insecurity, above 83% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Hergett, AR R+59
- Bono, AR R+59
- Brookland, AR R+62
- Needham, AR R+58
- Herndon, AR R+69
- Bay, AR R+64
- Shady Grove, AR R+74
- Lunsford, AR R+68
- Stacy, AR R+54
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lawrence, MA D+17
- Muskegon, MI D+7
- Canoga Park, CA D+27
- St. Cloud, FL R+21
- Snellville, GA D+42
- Waukesha, WI R+7
- Plantation, FL D+15
- Mooresville, NC R+18
- Wesley Chapel, FL R+6
- Atascocita, TX Even
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.