Mount Sterling leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Mount Sterling typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Mount Sterling, ~19% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Mount Sterling compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Mount Sterling leans more Republican than 5 of 86 neighbors.
Mount Sterling runs about 14 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Mount Sterling. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+58) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+39), a spread of about 19 points.
Why Mount Sterling 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 Mount Sterling, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Mount Sterling votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 45%, well above the Kentucky average of 18%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Mount Sterling, KY sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Mount Sterling looks the way it does
Turnout in Mount Sterling 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 Cities
- Howards Mill, KY R+51
- Camargo, KY R+56
- Stoops, KY R+56
- Grassy Lick, KY R+60
- Prewitt, KY R+64
- Judy, KY R+58
- Sideview, KY R+61
- Stepstone, KY R+64
- Goffs Corner, KY R+62
- Jeffersonville, KY R+66
Cities with Similar Populations
- Idylwood, VA D+41
- Crowley, LA R+29
- Monroe, OH R+35
- East Longmeadow, MA Even
- West Haven, UT R+39
- Greenacres, WA R+22
- Harrodsburg, KY R+49
- Hueytown, AL D+5
- Livingston, CA D+3
- Monument, CO R+25
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.