Knox County is a Republican stronghold. About 17% of voters here vote Democratic and 83% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Knox County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Knox County, ~13% vote Democratic, ~66% Republican, and ~21% 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 12 of 14 neighbors.
Knox County runs about 48 points more Republican than Missouri as a whole.
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.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Knox County, about 95% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 7 points below the Missouri average of 22%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Knox County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 9%, below 86% of counties).
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Knox County, MO sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Knox County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 87% of households in Knox County own their home, about 9 points above the Missouri average of 78%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Scotland County, MO R+64
- Adair County, MO R+21
- Lewis County, MO R+59
- Shelby County, MO R+65
- Schuyler County, MO R+67
- Clark County, MO R+60
- Macon County, MO R+57
- Van Buren County, IA R+55
- Davis County, IA R+59
- Monroe County, MO R+57
Counties with Similar Populations
- Ellis County, OK R+77
- Lake of the Woods County, MN R+40
- Pope County, IL R+60
- Lyman County, SD R+5
- Haskell County, KS R+66
- Adams County, IA R+46
- Cavalier County, ND R+48
- Echols County, GA R+66
- Sharkey County, MS D+48
- Norton City, VA R+39
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Missouri 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.