Wayne County is a Republican stronghold. About 16% of voters here vote Democratic and 84% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Wayne County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wayne County, ~12% vote Democratic, ~60% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wayne County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Wayne County leans more Republican than 5 of 8 neighbors.
Wayne County runs about 49 points more Republican than Missouri as a whole.
Why Wayne 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 Wayne County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Wayne County, about 93% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 8 points below the Missouri average of 22%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Wayne County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 6%, below 93% of counties).
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Wayne County, MO sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Wayne County looks the way it does
Turnout in Wayne County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Carter County, MO R+71
- Butler County, MO R+52
- Reynolds County, MO R+67
- Madison County, MO R+63
- Bollinger County, MO R+70
- Iron County, MO R+60
- Stoddard County, MO R+62
- Ripley County, MO R+70
- St. Francois County, MO R+48
- Shannon County, MO R+68
Counties with Similar Populations
- McIntosh County, GA R+24
- Grant County, WV R+74
- Candler County, GA R+40
- Washington County, NC D+7
- Noble County, OK R+54
- Washita County, OK R+74
- St. Helena Parish, LA D+7
- Lancaster County, VA R+9
- DeKalb County, MO R+57
- North Slope Borough, AK D+12
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Missouri 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.