Rockcastle County is a Republican stronghold. About 15% of voters here vote Democratic and 85% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Rockcastle County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rockcastle County, ~10% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rockcastle County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Rockcastle County leans more Republican than 18 of 22 neighbors.
Rockcastle County runs about 40 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Why Rockcastle 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 Rockcastle County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Rockcastle County, about 95% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 14 points below the U.S. average of 28%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Rockcastle County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 12%, below 78% of counties).
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Rockcastle County, KY sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Rockcastle County looks the way it does
Turnout in Rockcastle County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Lincoln County, KY R+64
- Jackson County, KY R+73
- Garrard County, KY R+59
- Madison County, KY R+26
- Pulaski County, KY R+59
- Laurel County, KY R+63
- Estill County, KY R+63
- Boyle County, KY R+29
- Casey County, KY R+72
- Clay County, KY R+72
Counties with Similar Populations
- Bates County, MO R+60
- Kanabec County, MN R+44
- Ashland County, WI Even
- Radford City, VA Even
- Trinity County, CA R+14
- Crawford County, WI R+26
- Appomattox County, VA R+44
- Casey County, KY R+72
- Union County, FL R+61
- Parke County, IN R+59
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky State Board 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.