South Knoxville leans Democratic by roughly 18 points: about 59% of voters vote Democratic and 41% Republican.
About 47% of adults in South Knoxville typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Knoxville, ~27% vote Democratic, ~19% Republican, and ~54% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South Knoxville compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, South Knoxville is the least Democratic-leaning.
South Knoxville runs about 48 points more Democratic than Tennessee as a whole. Tennessee leans Republican overall, while South Knoxville is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within South Knoxville. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+45) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (Even), a spread of about 45 points.
Why South Knoxville leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for South Knoxville, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
South Knoxville votes against the grain of Tennessee. Tennessee leans Republican overall, while South Knoxville runs about 48 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 53% of adults in South Knoxville have never been married, above 87% of neighborhoods.
Renting and voter turnout
Places with renter-heavy households tend to turn out at a lower rate; South Knoxville, Knoxville, TN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in South Knoxville looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 63% of households in South Knoxville rent, about 38 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and South Knoxville sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Mornngside, Knoxville, TN D+59
- Fort Sanders, Knoxville, TN D+36
- Park City, Knoxville, TN D+74
- Oakwood, Knoxville, TN D+32
- Historic Montford, Asheville, NC D+72
- Oakley, Asheville, NC D+38
- Douglas, Elizabethton, TN R+46
- Northside Community, Chattanooga, TN D+17
- Highland Park, Chattanooga, TN D+42
- Martin Luther King, Chattanooga, TN D+36
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Brentwood-Darlington, Portland, OR D+37
- Allied Gardens, San Diego, CA D+25
- Mandarin, Jacksonville, FL R+38
- Thunderbird Hills, San Antonio, TX D+23
- Liberty Street Historic District, San Francisco, CA D+81
- Memorial Park, Santa Ana, CA D+31
- Saint Anthony, St. Paul, MN D+73
- Elk Plain, Spanaway, WA R+13
- Willowbrook, Houston, TX D+28
- North End, Fall River, MA D+4
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Tennessee Secretary of State, Division 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.