Licking County leans Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Licking County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Licking County, ~27% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Licking County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Licking County leans more Republican than 4 of 16 neighbors.
Licking County runs about 18 points more Republican than Ohio as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Licking County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+55) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+14), a spread of about 42 points.
Why Licking 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 Licking County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Licking County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 48%, modestly above the Ohio average of 34%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 69% of households in Licking County are family households, above 77% of counties.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a low uninsured rate tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Licking County, OH does.
Why turnout in Licking County looks the way it does
Turnout in Licking 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
- Fairfield County, OH R+23
- Knox County, OH R+48
- Franklin County, OH D+30
- Perry County, OH R+56
- Delaware County, OH R+5
- Muskingum County, OH R+41
- Morrow County, OH R+58
- Pickaway County, OH R+41
- Hocking County, OH R+51
- Coshocton County, OH R+54
Counties with Similar Populations
- Shawnee County, KS D+4
- Imperial County, CA Even
- Johnson County, TX R+50
- Vanderburgh County, IN R+9
- Washington County, UT R+51
- Kanawha County, WV R+19
- Muskegon County, MI Even
- Bay County, FL R+35
- Peoria County, IL D+14
- Kent County, DE D+5
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.