Pike County is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Pike County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pike County, ~11% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pike County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Pike County leans more Republican than 5 of 17 neighbors.
Pike County runs about 33 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Pike County. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+74) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+43), a spread of about 31 points.
Why Pike 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 Pike County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Pike County, about 94% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 11 points below the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Pike County, KY sits in the bottom tenth 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 Pike County looks the way it does
Turnout in Pike County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Floyd County, KY R+61
- Dickenson County, VA R+66
- Mingo County, WV R+71
- Buchanan County, VA R+67
- Martin County, KY R+74
- Knott County, KY R+67
- Letcher County, KY R+65
- Johnson County, KY R+66
- Logan County, WV R+66
- Wise County, VA R+55
Counties with Similar Populations
- Newton County, MO R+54
- Carson City, NV R+11
- Huron County, OH R+44
- Pickaway County, OH R+41
- Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK R+27
- Pike County, PA R+21
- Autauga County, AL R+41
- Otsego County, NY R+5
- Columbia County, WI R+17
- Lowndes County, MS Even
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.