Muskingum County leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Muskingum County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Muskingum County, ~21% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Muskingum County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Muskingum County leans more Republican than 3 of 13 neighbors.
Muskingum County runs about 30 points more Republican than Ohio as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Muskingum County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+62) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+32), a spread of about 30 points.
Why Muskingum 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 Muskingum County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 83% of residents in Muskingum County drive to work alone, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Muskingum County, OH sits below 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 Muskingum County looks the way it does
Turnout in Muskingum 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
- Perry County, OH R+56
- Coshocton County, OH R+54
- Guernsey County, OH R+50
- Morgan County, OH R+55
- Licking County, OH R+29
- Noble County, OH R+55
- Fairfield County, OH R+23
- Knox County, OH R+48
- Hocking County, OH R+51
- Holmes County, OH R+72
Counties with Similar Populations
- Angelina County, TX R+41
- Lawrence County, PA R+28
- Lincoln County, NC R+45
- Island County, WA D+10
- Bannock County, ID R+25
- Dougherty County, GA D+48
- Newport County, RI D+23
- Polk County, OR R+4
- Burke County, NC R+40
- Cullman County, AL R+76
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.