Knox County is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Knox County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Knox County, ~16% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~28% 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 4 of 9 neighbors.
Knox County runs about 35 points more Republican than Nebraska as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Knox County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+68) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+15), a spread of about 53 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.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Knox County live in densely developed areas, about 12 points below the Nebraska average of 17%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Knox County, NE 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 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
- Bon Homme County, SD R+58
- Pierce County, NE R+72
- Cedar County, NE R+67
- Yankton County, SD R+35
- Antelope County, NE R+71
- Clay County, SD D+2
- Madison County, NE R+50
- Wayne County, NE R+44
- Hutchinson County, SD R+65
- Holt County, NE R+69
Counties with Similar Populations
- Bracken County, KY R+58
- Cedar County, NE R+67
- Webster County, WV R+68
- Butler County, NE R+62
- Perry County, TN R+73
- Coffey County, KS R+58
- Daviess County, MO R+63
- Maries County, MO R+66
- Mercer County, ND R+65
- Warren County, IN R+58
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Nebraska 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.