Scotts Bluff County leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Scotts Bluff County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Scotts Bluff County, ~21% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Scotts Bluff County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Scotts Bluff County is the least Republican-leaning.
Scotts Bluff County runs about 21 points more Republican than Nebraska as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Scotts Bluff County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+72) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+24), a spread of about 48 points.
Why Scotts Bluff 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 Scotts Bluff County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 82% of residents in Scotts Bluff County drive to work alone, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Scotts Bluff County, NE sits in the top 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 Scotts Bluff County looks the way it does
Turnout in Scotts Bluff 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
- Banner County, NE R+79
- Morrill County, NE R+64
- Goshen County, WY R+62
- Sioux County, NE R+79
- Kimball County, NE R+68
- Box Butte County, NE R+55
- Cheyenne County, NE R+58
- Platte County, WY R+65
- Dawes County, NE R+39
- Laramie County, WY R+23
Counties with Similar Populations
- Laclede County, MO R+61
- Wise County, VA R+55
- Cocke County, TN R+65
- Miami County, IN R+45
- Greenup County, KY R+52
- Carlton County, MN R+12
- Greene County, PA R+43
- Floyd County, KY R+61
- Ware County, GA R+30
- Orange County, VA R+30
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Nebraska 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.