Pawnee County is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Pawnee County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pawnee County, ~13% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pawnee County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Pawnee County leans more Republican than 8 of 9 neighbors.
Pawnee County runs about 11 points more Republican than Oklahoma as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Pawnee County. The south side is the most Republican-leaning (R+69) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+41), a spread of about 27 points.
Why Pawnee 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 Pawnee County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 17% of adults in Pawnee County hold a bachelor's degree, about 12 points below the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Pawnee County, OK sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Pawnee County looks the way it does
Turnout in Pawnee 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
- Osage County, OK R+39
- Creek County, OK R+55
- Payne County, OK R+18
- Tulsa County, OK Even
- Noble County, OK R+54
- Washington County, OK R+40
- Kay County, OK R+46
- Lincoln County, OK R+64
- Rogers County, OK R+49
- Wagoner County, OK R+40
Counties with Similar Populations
- De Witt County, IL R+43
- Marquette County, WI R+36
- Gooding County, ID R+54
- Clarke County, MS R+26
- Floyd County, IA R+30
- Floyd County, VA R+47
- Brown County, IN R+43
- Moniteau County, MO R+60
- Barbour County, WV R+60
- Nottoway County, VA R+9
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Oklahoma State Election Board, 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.