Putnam County is a Republican stronghold. About 17% of voters here vote Democratic and 83% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Putnam County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Putnam County, ~14% vote Democratic, ~69% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Putnam County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Putnam County is the most Republican-leaning.
Putnam County runs about 55 points more Republican than Ohio as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Putnam County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+73) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+58), a spread of about 15 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.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 85% of residents in Putnam County drive to work alone, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 72% of households in Putnam County are family households, above 88% of counties.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Putnam County, OH sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Putnam County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Putnam County is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 87% of households in Putnam County own their home, above 98% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 95% of adults in Putnam County have completed high school, above 92% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Allen County, OH R+32
- Henry County, OH R+53
- Hancock County, OH R+32
- Van Wert County, OH R+56
- Paulding County, OH R+57
- Defiance County, OH R+43
- Hardin County, OH R+50
- Auglaize County, OH R+59
- Fulton County, OH R+45
- Wood County, OH R+11
Counties with Similar Populations
- Nicollet County, MN R+9
- Steuben County, IN R+45
- Taos County, NM D+42
- Brookings County, SD R+25
- Barry County, MO R+62
- Cowley County, KS R+38
- Marshall County, TN R+54
- Platte County, NE R+48
- Ford County, KS R+26
- Clark County, WI R+43
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.