Knox County leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Knox County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Knox County, ~30% vote Democratic, ~38% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Knox County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Knox County is the least Republican-leaning.
Knox County runs about 17 points more Democratic than Tennessee as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Knox County. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+24) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+39), a spread of about 63 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.
Knox County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 72%, far above the Tennessee average of 21%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Knox County, TN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
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
- Anderson County, TN R+39
- Blount County, TN R+49
- Union County, TN R+70
- Loudon County, TN R+53
- Sevier County, TN R+58
- Campbell County, TN R+65
- Roane County, TN R+57
- Jefferson County, TN R+61
- Morgan County, TN R+70
- Grainger County, TN R+71
Counties with Similar Populations
- Onondaga County, NY D+21
- Prince William County, VA D+21
- Tulare County, CA R+12
- Washoe County, NV D+3
- Seminole County, FL R+5
- Sonoma County, CA D+42
- Hampden County, MA D+14
- Polk County, IA D+12
- Ada County, ID R+8
- Richmond County, NY R+21
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of 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.