Pickens County is a Republican stronghold. About 21% of voters here vote Democratic and 79% Republican.
About 85% of adults in Pickens County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pickens County, ~18% vote Democratic, ~67% Republican, and ~15% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pickens County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Pickens County leans more Republican than 15 of 21 neighbors.
Pickens County runs about 57 points more Republican than Georgia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Pickens County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+73) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+35), a spread of about 37 points.
Why Pickens 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 Pickens County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 75% of households in Pickens County are family households, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Pickens County, GA sits below the national average on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Pickens County looks the way it does
Turnout in Pickens 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
- Gilmer County, GA R+59
- Dawson County, GA R+61
- Cherokee County, GA R+33
- Forsyth County, GA R+22
- Lumpkin County, GA R+46
- Gordon County, GA R+60
- Bartow County, GA R+46
- Murray County, GA R+68
- Fannin County, GA R+62
- Hall County, GA R+32
Counties with Similar Populations
- Panola County, MS Even
- Clinton County, IN R+45
- Bureau County, IL R+27
- Lee County, GA R+38
- Jefferson County, IN R+43
- Morton County, ND R+49
- Caroline County, MD R+34
- Lawrence County, AL R+63
- Daviess County, IN R+59
- Hot Spring County, AR R+51
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Georgia Elections Division, 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.