Stark County leans Republican by roughly 18 points: about 41% of voters vote Democratic and 59% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Stark County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Stark County, ~32% vote Democratic, ~45% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Stark County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Stark County leans more Republican than 5 of 17 neighbors.
Stark County runs about 7 points more Republican than Ohio as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Stark County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+31) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+4), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Stark 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 Stark County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Stark County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 74%, far above the Ohio average of 34%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Stark County, OH 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 Stark County looks the way it does
Turnout in Stark 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
- Summit County, OH D+10
- Carroll County, OH R+55
- Portage County, OH R+12
- Wayne County, OH R+42
- Tuscarawas County, OH R+48
- Holmes County, OH R+72
- Medina County, OH R+25
- Columbiana County, OH R+45
- Mahoning County, OH Even
- Harrison County, OH R+56
Counties with Similar Populations
- Lehigh County, PA D+6
- Collier County, FL R+20
- Marion County, FL R+28
- Washtenaw County, MI D+44
- Brazoria County, TX R+17
- Bell County, TX R+3
- Forsyth County, NC D+18
- Lane County, OR D+21
- Hamilton County, TN R+10
- Lake County, FL R+25
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.