Pontotoc County is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Pontotoc County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pontotoc County, ~12% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pontotoc County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Pontotoc County leans more Republican than 13 of 14 neighbors.
Pontotoc County runs about 42 points more Republican than Mississippi as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Pontotoc County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+82) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+21), a spread of about 61 points.
Why Pontotoc 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 Pontotoc County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 87% of residents in Pontotoc County drive to work alone, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Pontotoc County, MS 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 Pontotoc County looks the way it does
Turnout in Pontotoc 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
- Union County, MS R+63
- Lee County, MS R+26
- Chickasaw County, MS R+12
- Calhoun County, MS R+39
- Lafayette County, MS R+16
- Itawamba County, MS R+76
- Tippah County, MS R+61
- Prentiss County, MS R+58
- Monroe County, MS R+31
- Benton County, MS R+26
Counties with Similar Populations
- Polk County, MN R+31
- Delta County, CO R+35
- Adams County, NE R+42
- Clarendon County, SC R+8
- Lake County, MT R+21
- Titus County, TX R+40
- Coos County, NH R+24
- Washington County, ME R+24
- Stone County, MO R+55
- Amherst County, VA R+33
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Mississippi 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.