Rooks County is a Republican stronghold. About 17% of voters here vote Democratic and 83% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Rooks County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rooks County, ~13% vote Democratic, ~66% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rooks County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Rooks County leans more Republican than 3 of 8 neighbors.
Rooks County runs about 50 points more Republican than Kansas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Rooks County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+76) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+58), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Rooks 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 Rooks County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 82% of residents in Rooks County drive to work alone, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Rooks County, KS sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Rooks County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Rooks 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 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Rooks County have completed high school, above 86% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Graham County, KS R+65
- Phillips County, KS R+68
- Ellis County, KS R+38
- Osborne County, KS R+74
- Trego County, KS R+67
- Russell County, KS R+59
- Smith County, KS R+72
- Norton County, KS R+71
- Rush County, KS R+62
- Harlan County, NE R+69
Counties with Similar Populations
- Craig County, VA R+64
- Gallatin County, IL R+60
- Scott County, IL R+64
- Ouray County, CO D+13
- Toole County, MT R+43
- Dillingham Census Area, AK D+19
- Phillips County, KS R+68
- Wheeler County, TX R+67
- Dickey County, ND R+55
- Jim Hogg County, TX R+2
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kansas 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.