Lake City is a Republican stronghold. About 23% of voters here vote Democratic and 77% Republican.
About 59% of adults in Lake City typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lake City, ~14% vote Democratic, ~45% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lake City compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Lake City leans more Republican than 7 of 68 neighbors.
Lake City runs about 25 points more Republican than Tennessee as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Lake City. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+68) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+44), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Lake City 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 Lake City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 8% of adults in Lake City hold a bachelor's degree, about 14 points below the Tennessee average of 22%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 85% of residents in Lake City drive to work alone, above 81% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Lake City, TN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Lake City looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Lake City is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 37% of households in Lake City rent, above 92% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 84% of adults in Lake City have completed high school, below 84% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Rocky Top, TN R+61
- Slatestone, TN R+69
- Seeber Flats, TN R+68
- Caryville, TN R+65
- Norris, TN R+57
- Grantsboro, TN R+72
- Jacksboro, TN R+65
- Pine Crest, TN R+72
- Briceville, TN R+69
Cities with Similar Populations
- Clear Brook, VA R+37
- Lacon, IL R+38
- Nicoma Park, OK R+29
- Anthony, KS R+66
- Ossineke, MI R+37
- Lower Lake, CA R+9
- Henryville, PA R+11
- Tool, TX R+69
- Spring Bluff, GA R+42
- Millville, UT R+50
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.