Polk County is a Republican stronghold. About 14% of voters here vote Democratic and 86% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Polk County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Polk County, ~9% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~37% 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 21 of 22 neighbors.
Polk County runs about 43 points more Republican than Tennessee 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.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 9% of residents in Polk County live in densely developed areas, about 12 points below the Tennessee average of 21%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Polk County, TN sits in the bottom quarter nationally 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 Polk County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 83% of households in Polk County own their home, about 6 points above the Tennessee average of 77%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Bradley County, TN R+48
- McMinn County, TN R+61
- Fannin County, GA R+62
- Murray County, GA R+68
- Meigs County, TN R+72
- Monroe County, TN R+67
- Cherokee County, NC R+51
- Gilmer County, GA R+59
- Whitfield County, GA R+38
- Hamilton County, TN R+10
Counties with Similar Populations
- Pike County, MO R+55
- Delaware County, IA R+39
- Patrick County, VA R+58
- Seward County, NE R+52
- Lee County, TX R+52
- Northampton County, NC D+15
- Hancock County, IL R+45
- Burleson County, TX R+53
- Park County, CO R+9
- Dickinson County, IA R+34
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Tennessee Secretary of State, Division 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.