Saline County leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 62% of adults in Saline County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Saline County, ~20% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Saline County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Saline County leans more Republican than 2 of 12 neighbors.
Saline County runs about 18 points more Republican than Missouri as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Saline County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+63) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+39), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Saline 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 Saline County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 82% of residents in Saline County drive to work alone, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Saline County, MO sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Saline County looks the way it does
Turnout in Saline 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
- Carroll County, MO R+61
- Howard County, MO R+48
- Cooper County, MO R+46
- Pettis County, MO R+43
- Chariton County, MO R+61
- Lafayette County, MO R+51
- Johnson County, MO R+35
- Randolph County, MO R+49
- Moniteau County, MO R+60
- Linn County, MO R+55
Counties with Similar Populations
- Teton County, WY D+16
- Yankton County, SD R+35
- McDonald County, MO R+65
- Pacific County, WA R+5
- Starke County, IN R+49
- Fayette County, IN R+54
- Meeker County, MN R+44
- Franklin County, GA R+66
- Antrim County, MI R+21
- Curry County, OR R+11
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Missouri 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.