McDonald County, MO Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in McDonald County

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

McDonald County is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.

 

About 57% of adults in McDonald County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in McDonald County, ~10% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How McDonald County compares

Among counties within 50 miles, McDonald County is the most Republican-leaning.

McDonald County runs about 46 points more Republican than Missouri as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by city within McDonald County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+74) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+49), a spread of about 25 points.

Why McDonald 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 McDonald County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 13% of adults in McDonald County hold a bachelor's degree, about 9 points below the Missouri average of 22%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 69% of households in McDonald County are family households, above 75% of counties.

Preventive-care access and voter turnout

Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; McDonald County, MO sits in the bottom tenth 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 McDonald County looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. McDonald County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 47%, about 10 points below the Missouri average of 57%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 24% of adults in McDonald County report food insecurity, above 86% of counties. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 83% of adults in McDonald County have completed high school, below 89% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Missouri 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.