Knox County leans heavily Republican by roughly 40 points: about 30% of voters vote Democratic and 70% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Knox County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Knox County, ~20% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Knox County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Knox County leans more Republican than 2 of 16 neighbors.
Knox County runs about 22 points more Republican than Indiana as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Knox County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+63) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+14), a spread of about 49 points.
Why Knox 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 Knox County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 84% of residents in Knox County drive to work alone, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Knox County, IN sits in the top quarter 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 Knox County looks the way it does
Turnout in Knox 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
- Lawrence County, IL R+47
- Daviess County, IN R+59
- Pike County, IN R+55
- Wabash County, IL R+51
- Crawford County, IL R+50
- Gibson County, IN R+49
- Sullivan County, IN R+49
- Martin County, IN R+59
- Richland County, IL R+50
- Greene County, IN R+55
Counties with Similar Populations
- Matagorda County, TX R+32
- Orange County, VA R+30
- Ware County, GA R+30
- Carlton County, MN R+12
- Wise County, VA R+55
- Alexander County, NC R+56
- Scotts Bluff County, NE R+42
- Laclede County, MO R+61
- Beauregard Parish, LA R+70
- Cocke County, TN R+65
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Indiana 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.