Watauga, KY Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Watauga

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Watauga is a Republican stronghold. About 13% of voters here vote Democratic and 87% Republican.

 

About 70% of adults in Watauga typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Watauga, ~9% vote Democratic, ~61% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Watauga compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Watauga leans more Republican than 76 of 83 neighbors.

Watauga runs about 44 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.

Why Watauga leans the way it does

This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Watauga, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 90% of residents in Watauga drive to work alone, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 74%.

Walkability and Republican lean

Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Watauga, KY sits in the bottom tenth 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 Watauga looks the way it does

Turnout in Watauga 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.

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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.