Monroe County is a Republican stronghold. About 16% of voters here vote Democratic and 84% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Monroe County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Monroe County, ~11% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Monroe County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Monroe County leans more Republican than 16 of 19 neighbors.
Monroe County runs about 37 points more Republican than Tennessee as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Monroe County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+74) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+59), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Monroe 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 Monroe County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 17% of adults in Monroe County hold a bachelor's degree, about 5 points below the Tennessee average of 22%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Monroe County, TN sits below the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Monroe County looks the way it does
Turnout in Monroe 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
- McMinn County, TN R+61
- Loudon County, TN R+53
- Meigs County, TN R+72
- Roane County, TN R+57
- Blount County, TN R+49
- Polk County, TN R+72
- Rhea County, TN R+63
- Cherokee County, NC R+51
- Graham County, NC R+62
- Knox County, TN R+13
Counties with Similar Populations
- Beltrami County, MN R+4
- Monroe County, WI R+28
- Logan County, OH R+51
- Mifflin County, PA R+58
- Marshall County, IN R+44
- Auglaize County, OH R+59
- Jackson County, IN R+51
- Bryan County, OK R+54
- Stevens County, WA R+37
- Hancock County, MS R+53
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.