Sullivan County is a Republican stronghold. About 25% of voters here vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Sullivan County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sullivan County, ~18% vote Democratic, ~53% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sullivan County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Sullivan County is the most Republican-leaning.
Sullivan County runs about 49 points more Republican than Pennsylvania as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Sullivan County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+62) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+43), a spread of about 19 points.
Why Sullivan 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 Sullivan County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 8% of residents in Sullivan County live in densely developed areas, about 26 points below the Pennsylvania average of 33%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Sullivan County, PA sits in the bottom tenth 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 Sullivan County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Sullivan County is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 62%, above 65% of counties. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 86% of households in Sullivan County own their home, above 97% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Bradford County, PA R+49
- Wyoming County, PA R+41
- Lycoming County, PA R+34
- Columbia County, PA R+32
- Montour County, PA R+23
- Luzerne County, PA R+14
- Union County, PA R+26
- Northumberland County, PA R+39
- Tioga County, PA R+50
- Lackawanna County, PA Even
Counties with Similar Populations
- Stanton County, NE R+64
- Ontonagon County, MI R+26
- Garza County, TX R+30
- Gilpin County, CO D+16
- Carson County, TX R+75
- Mitchell County, KS R+58
- Cumberland County, KY R+67
- Chouteau County, MT R+24
- Taylor County, IA R+50
- Pondera County, MT R+35
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau 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.