Spencer County is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 86% of adults in Spencer County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Spencer County, ~19% vote Democratic, ~67% Republican, and ~14% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Spencer County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Spencer County leans more Republican than 24 of 28 neighbors.
Spencer County runs about 25 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Spencer County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+65) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+51), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Spencer 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 Spencer County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 79% of households in Spencer County are family households, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Spencer County, KY sits in the bottom 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 Spencer County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 89% of households in Spencer County own their home, about 11 points above the Kentucky average of 78%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Shelby County, KY R+32
- Bullitt County, KY R+48
- Nelson County, KY R+46
- Jefferson County, KY D+20
- Oldham County, KY R+23
- Anderson County, KY R+50
- Washington County, KY R+58
- Henry County, KY R+51
- Franklin County, KY R+19
- Clark County, IN R+23
Counties with Similar Populations
- Langlade County, WI R+35
- Adair County, OK R+54
- Jackson County, IA R+35
- Chaffee County, CO D+6
- Fayette County, IA R+30
- Macon County, AL D+57
- East Feliciana Parish, LA R+24
- Freestone County, TX R+56
- Wayne County, KY R+65
- Los Alamos County, NM D+27
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky State Board 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.