Laurel County is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Laurel County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Laurel County, ~12% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Laurel County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Laurel County leans more Republican than 5 of 22 neighbors.
Laurel County runs about 33 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Why Laurel 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 Laurel 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 Laurel County, about 95% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 11 points below the U.S. average of 28%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 71% of households in Laurel County are family households, above 84% of counties.
Park access and Democratic lean
Places with heavy park coverage tend to lean Democratic; Laurel County, KY sits above the national average on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Laurel County looks the way it does
Turnout in Laurel County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Knox County, KY R+65
- Clay County, KY R+72
- Whitley County, KY R+68
- Jackson County, KY R+73
- Rockcastle County, KY R+70
- Pulaski County, KY R+59
- McCreary County, KY R+70
- Owsley County, KY R+74
- Bell County, KY R+62
- Leslie County, KY R+76
Counties with Similar Populations
- Walla Walla County, WA R+7
- Knox County, OH R+48
- Stanly County, NC R+47
- Union County, OH R+30
- Athens County, OH D+8
- Barry County, MI R+34
- Garfield County, OK R+43
- Hall County, NE R+26
- Darlington County, SC R+8
- Eddy County, NM R+49
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky State Board 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.