Paulding County is a Republican stronghold. About 21% of voters here vote Democratic and 79% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Paulding County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Paulding County, ~16% vote Democratic, ~58% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Paulding County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Paulding County leans more Republican than 13 of 17 neighbors.
Paulding County runs about 46 points more Republican than Ohio as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Paulding County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+66) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+55), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Paulding 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 Paulding County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 85% of residents in Paulding County drive to work alone, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Paulding County sits in the bottom quarter (about 17%, below 76% of counties).
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Paulding County, OH sits below the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Paulding County looks the way it does
Turnout in Paulding 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
- Defiance County, OH R+43
- Van Wert County, OH R+56
- Putnam County, OH R+66
- Williams County, OH R+50
- Allen County, IN R+5
- DeKalb County, IN R+49
- Henry County, OH R+53
- Adams County, IN R+60
- Allen County, OH R+32
- Fulton County, OH R+45
Counties with Similar Populations
- Houston County, MN R+21
- Tishomingo County, MS R+76
- Saluda County, SC R+34
- Pike County, GA R+70
- Adair County, KY R+62
- Greene County, GA R+14
- Harrison County, KY R+51
- Otero County, CO R+23
- Concordia Parish, LA R+24
- Crawford County, IL R+50
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.