Polk County is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Polk County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Polk County, ~13% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Polk County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Polk County leans more Republican than 6 of 13 neighbors.
Polk County runs about 43 points more Republican than Missouri as a whole.
Why Polk 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 Polk County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 69% of households in Polk County are family households, above 76% of counties.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Polk County, MO sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Polk County looks the way it does
Turnout in Polk 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
- Dallas County, MO R+66
- Hickory County, MO R+62
- Dade County, MO R+67
- Greene County, MO R+18
- Cedar County, MO R+65
- Webster County, MO R+64
- St. Clair County, MO R+64
- Christian County, MO R+51
- Laclede County, MO R+61
- Lawrence County, MO R+60
Counties with Similar Populations
- Montgomery County, KS R+44
- Malheur County, OR R+42
- Huron County, MI R+42
- Marshall County, KY R+57
- Gilmer County, GA R+59
- Amherst County, VA R+33
- Coos County, NH R+24
- Titus County, TX R+40
- Adams County, NE R+42
- Delta County, CO R+35
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Missouri 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.