Putnam County leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Putnam County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Putnam County, ~17% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Putnam County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Putnam County leans more Republican than 10 of 19 neighbors.
Putnam County runs about 27 points more Republican than Indiana as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Putnam County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+63) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+39), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Putnam 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 Putnam County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 70% of households in Putnam County are family households, above 79% of counties.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a low uninsured rate tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Putnam County, IN does.
Why turnout in Putnam County looks the way it does
Turnout in Putnam 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
- Clay County, IN R+52
- Parke County, IN R+59
- Owen County, IN R+57
- Hendricks County, IN R+20
- Morgan County, IN R+51
- Montgomery County, IN R+44
- Vigo County, IN R+12
- Vermillion County, IN R+50
- Boone County, IN R+19
- Monroe County, IN D+29
Counties with Similar Populations
- Geary County, KS R+16
- Whitley County, KY R+68
- Okmulgee County, OK R+40
- Sagadahoc County, ME D+8
- Escambia County, AL R+38
- McLeod County, MN R+40
- Chippewa County, MI R+11
- Hopkins County, TX R+61
- Huntington County, IN R+45
- Dyer County, TN R+47
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Indiana 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.