Scott County is a Republican stronghold. About 15% of voters here vote Democratic and 85% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Scott County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Scott County, ~11% vote Democratic, ~60% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Scott County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Scott County leans more Republican than 17 of 19 neighbors.
Scott County runs about 76 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Scott County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Scott County. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+76) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+64), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Scott 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 Scott 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 Scott County, about 95% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 13 points below the Virginia average of 29%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Scott County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 10%, below 81% of counties). Scott County runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Scott County, VA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Scott County looks the way it does
Turnout in Scott County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Sullivan County, TN R+50
- Norton City, VA R+39
- Wise County, VA R+55
- Hawkins County, TN R+66
- Bristol City, VA R+32
- Washington County, TN R+37
- Lee County, VA R+64
- Russell County, VA R+68
- Carter County, TN R+61
- Dickenson County, VA R+66
Counties with Similar Populations
- Dakota County, NE R+15
- Stutsman County, ND R+34
- Gaines County, TX R+70
- Hertford County, NC D+25
- Letcher County, KY R+65
- Minidoka County, ID R+58
- Hockley County, TX R+63
- Logan County, CO R+50
- Lampasas County, TX R+55
- Grenada County, MS R+15
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department 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.