Sterling County is a Republican stronghold. About 10% of voters here vote Democratic and 90% Republican.
About 52% of adults in Sterling County typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sterling County, ~5% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~48% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sterling County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Sterling County leans more Republican than 5 of 6 neighbors.
Sterling County runs about 66 points more Republican than Texas as a whole.
Why Sterling 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 Sterling County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 85% of households in Sterling County are family households, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 67%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Sterling County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 1%, in the bottom fraction of counties).
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Sterling County, TX sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Sterling County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Sterling County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 84% of adults in Sterling County have completed high school, below 84% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Glasscock County, TX R+85
- Coke County, TX R+72
- Mitchell County, TX R+50
- Howard County, TX R+50
- Irion County, TX R+69
- Tom Green County, TX R+39
- Reagan County, TX R+55
- Martin County, TX R+68
- Nolan County, TX R+47
- Runnels County, TX R+64
Counties with Similar Populations
- Campbell County, SD R+66
- Jackson County, CO R+42
- Cottle County, TX R+57
- Issaquena County, MS R+11
- Carter County, MT R+78
- Edwards County, TX R+42
- Harding County, SD R+88
- Briscoe County, TX R+71
- Piute County, UT R+78
- Throckmorton County, TX R+76
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Texas Secretary of State, Elections Division, 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.