Wolfe County is a Republican stronghold. About 21% of voters here vote Democratic and 79% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Wolfe County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wolfe County, ~15% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wolfe County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Wolfe County leans more Republican than 5 of 24 neighbors.
Wolfe County runs about 27 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Wolfe County. The south side is the most Republican-leaning (R+65) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+49), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Wolfe 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 Wolfe 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 Wolfe County, about 95% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 11 points below the Kentucky average of 19%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Wolfe County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 9%, below 85% of counties).
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Wolfe County, KY sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Wolfe County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Wolfe County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 39%, about 15 points below the Kentucky average of 54%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Lee County, KY R+67
- Menifee County, KY R+64
- Breathitt County, KY R+62
- Morgan County, KY R+64
- Powell County, KY R+60
- Owsley County, KY R+74
- Magoffin County, KY R+67
- Estill County, KY R+63
- Bath County, KY R+61
- Montgomery County, KY R+52
Counties with Similar Populations
- Surry County, VA D+2
- Rio Blanco County, CO R+46
- Fremont County, IA R+47
- King and Queen County, VA R+28
- Fulton County, KY R+41
- Wilkin County, MN R+39
- Wayne County, IA R+56
- Clark County, MO R+60
- Buena Vista City, VA R+35
- Dallas County, AR R+18
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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.