AkashicThe most Mainline Protestant places in America
Of the 100 counties most defined by mainline protestant, 97 voted Republican and 3 Democratic in 2024 — a median of R+40.2, and as a group they shifted −3.6 points toward Republicans from 2020 to 2024.
Does mainline protestant move the vote?
Every U.S. county, plotted by how much of the community lives there against its 2024 presidential margin — the demographic dial on one axis, the political one on the other.
Across every county, mainline protestant barely moves the vote either way — little relationship (r = −0.08).
| Mainline Protestant range | Counties | Median margin |
|---|---|---|
| 0.7% – 2.6% | 432 | R+32.0 |
| 2.6% – 4.5% | 532 | R+42.4 |
| 4.5% – 6.5% | 506 | R+35.6 |
| 6.5% – 8.4% | 364 | R+35.8 |
| 8.4% – 10.3% | 265 | R+38.5 |
| 10.3% – 12.3% | 177 | R+36.1 |
| 12.3% – 14.2% | 131 | R+43.4 |
| 14.2% – 16.1% | 87 | R+43.7 |
| 16.1% – 18.0% | 74 | R+39.6 |
| 18.0% – 19.9% | 56 | R+49.0 |
| 19.9% – 21.9% | 29 | R+40.9 |
| 21.9% – 23.8% | 27 | R+44.0 |
| 23.8% – 25.7% | 24 | R+40.1 |
| 25.7% – 27.6% | 19 | R+46.6 |
| 27.6% – 29.6% | 16 | R+45.2 |
| 29.6% – 31.5% | 72 | R+38.2 |
Where mainline protestant concentrates
Every county shaded by mainline protestant — deep where the community clusters, pale at the other end. Counties below 5,000 population are suppressed.
The leaderboard
Ranked most to least by mainline protestant. Filter by region or state, switch the column lens, cap the list, and sort on any figure.
| # | 2008–24 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lac qui Parle County, MN | 57.0% | R R+32.2 | −5.4 | 3,996 | |
| 2 | Winnebago County, IA | 56.5% | R R+30.6 | −4.3 | 5,642 | |
| 3 | Kingsbury County, SD | 55.9% | R R+43.9 | −4.8 | 2,801 | |
| 4 | Norman County, MN | 51.9% | R R+22.2 | −6.2 | 3,293 | |
| 5 | Grant County, MN | 51.2% | R R+30.5 | −3.9 | 3,543 | |
| 6 | Chippewa County, MN | 50.7% | R R+34.0 | −3.4 | 6,317 | |
| 7 | Fillmore County, MN | 44.1% | R R+25.4 | −2.8 | 12,385 | |
| 8 | Winneshiek County, IA | 43.8% | R R+9.2 | −4.1 | 11,979 | |
| 9 | Dixon County, NE | 43.8% | R R+58.5 | −4.0 | 2,904 | |
| 10 | Worth County, IA | 43.5% | R R+28.2 | −2.3 | 4,287 | |
| 11 | Fillmore County, NE | 42.8% | R R+54.7 | −1.7 | 3,024 | |
| 12 | McHenry County, ND | 42.7% | R R+63.4 | −3.4 | 2,752 | |
| 13 | Pennington County, MN | 41.1% | R R+31.4 | −4.4 | 7,381 | |
| 14 | Rock County, MN | 40.5% | R R+39.2 | −0.5 | 5,373 | |
| 15 | Williamsburg city, VA | 40.3% | D D+44.3 | +3.2 | 7,894 | |
| 16 | Traill County, ND | 40.0% | R R+31.4 | −6.5 | 4,115 | |
| 17 | Renville County, MN | 39.0% | R R+41.3 | −4.8 | 8,058 | |
| 18 | Freeborn County, MN | 38.4% | R R+21.3 | −5.3 | 16,704 | |
| 19 | Barnes County, ND | 38.4% | R R+35.0 | −3.6 | 5,339 | |
| 20 | Emmet County, IA | 38.0% | R R+43.9 | −8.0 | 4,798 | |
| 21 | Faribault County, MN | 37.9% | R R+37.3 | −3.7 | 7,761 | |
| 22 | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK | 37.4% | D D+20.5 | −1.2 | 2,446 | |
| 23 | Schuyler County, NY | 37.4% | R R+20.9 | −3.2 | 9,486 | |
| 24 | Russell County, KS | 37.2% | R R+61.3 | +1.9 | 3,301 | |
| 25 | Marshall County, MN | 37.2% | R R+51.6 | −4.2 | 5,031 | |
| 26 | Yellow Medicine County, MN | 37.0% | R R+40.5 | −3.5 | 5,410 | |
| 27 | Ransom County, ND | 36.9% | R R+28.0 | −8.7 | 2,649 | |
| 28 | Pope County, MN | 36.8% | R R+31.6 | −3.9 | 7,218 | |
| 29 | Butler County, IA | 36.4% | R R+45.2 | −6.7 | 8,046 | |
| 30 | Lyon County, IA | 36.1% | R R+69.6 | −2.0 | 7,002 | |
| 31 | Pembina County, ND | 36.1% | R R+52.9 | −2.6 | 3,112 | |
| 32 | Lincoln County, MN | 35.9% | R R+37.7 | +0.4 | 3,235 | |
| 33 | Stevens County, MN | 35.9% | R R+27.0 | −4.9 | 5,138 | |
| 34 | Chickasaw County, IA | 35.6% | R R+37.1 | −5.8 | 6,239 | |
| 35 | Boone County, NE | 35.5% | R R+65.9 | +0.9 | 3,040 | |
| 36 | Grundy County, IA | 35.2% | R R+41.7 | −4.3 | 7,146 | |
| 37 | Sioux County, IA | 35.1% | R R+70.7 | −4.2 | 19,001 | |
| 38 | Goodhue County, MN | 35.0% | R R+16.4 | −1.6 | 28,817 | |
| 39 | Gage County, NE | 35.0% | R R+39.0 | −2.5 | 10,965 | |
| 40 | Swift County, MN | 34.9% | R R+34.1 | −4.6 | 5,054 | |
| 41 | Taylor County, IA | 34.7% | R R+55.7 | −2.8 | 3,081 | |
| 42 | Clayton County, IA | 34.1% | R R+34.4 | −5.6 | 9,400 | |
| 43 | Kandiyohi County, MN | 34.1% | R R+30.9 | −5.3 | 23,282 | |
| 44 | Bremer County, IA | 34.0% | R R+22.1 | −6.0 | 14,607 | |
| 45 | Ida County, IA | 33.8% | R R+53.2 | −2.2 | 3,655 | |
| 46 | Day County, SD | 33.7% | R R+29.9 | −2.3 | 2,932 | |
| 47 | Jackson County, MN | 33.4% | R R+42.0 | −4.1 | 5,644 | |
| 48 | Marion County, IA | 33.0% | R R+37.6 | −3.9 | 19,566 | |
| 49 | Franklin County, IA | 32.9% | R R+41.6 | −6.6 | 4,900 | |
| 50 | Wayne County, NE | 32.9% | R R+48.8 | −0.4 | 4,106 | |
| 51 | Montgomery County, IA | 32.7% | R R+39.0 | −0.0 | 5,074 | |
| 52 | Covington city, VA | 32.4% | R R+33.2 | −9.6 | 2,480 | |
| 53 | Turner County, SD | 32.3% | R R+51.3 | −4.0 | 4,538 | |
| 54 | Pendleton County, WV | 32.0% | R R+58.6 | −5.0 | 3,425 | |
| 55 | Watonwan County, MN | 31.7% | R R+27.7 | −6.2 | 4,933 | |
| 56 | Allamakee County, IA | 31.5% | R R+34.3 | −5.2 | 7,318 | |
| 57 | Lake County, SD | 31.5% | R R+31.2 | −3.7 | 5,906 | |
| 58 | Trempealeau County, WI | 30.9% | R R+21.4 | −4.8 | 16,079 | |
| 59 | Clay County, IA | 30.6% | R R+43.1 | −4.3 | 8,541 | |
| 60 | Dickinson County, IA | 30.5% | R R+39.9 | −6.3 | 11,234 | |
| 61 | Dodge County, MN | 30.5% | R R+31.9 | −1.5 | 12,484 | |
| 62 | Hamilton County, NE | 30.4% | R R+60.1 | −2.8 | 5,573 | |
| 63 | Mitchell County, IA | 30.3% | R R+31.1 | −3.2 | 5,771 | |
| 64 | Steele County, MN | 30.3% | R R+24.4 | −2.0 | 20,872 | |
| 65 | Cottonwood County, MN | 30.2% | R R+41.0 | −2.8 | 5,987 | |
| 66 | McLean County, ND | 30.1% | R R+57.9 | −4.3 | 5,421 | |
| 67 | Calhoun County, IA | 30.0% | R R+46.7 | −4.5 | 5,097 | |
| 68 | Bottineau County, ND | 29.9% | R R+54.9 | −4.4 | 3,447 | |
| 69 | Murray County, MN | 29.8% | R R+42.3 | −3.2 | 4,769 | |
| 70 | Scott County, KS | 29.6% | R R+74.7 | −1.9 | 2,135 | |
| 71 | Pipestone County, MN | 29.6% | R R+48.0 | −2.5 | 4,837 | |
| 72 | Otoe County, NE | 29.6% | R R+38.8 | −0.9 | 8,227 | |
| 73 | Roberts County, SD | 29.5% | R R+23.0 | −9.6 | 4,149 | |
| 74 | O'Brien County, IA | 29.4% | R R+60.7 | −3.9 | 7,525 | |
| 75 | Walsh County, ND | 29.2% | R R+44.8 | −3.1 | 4,496 | |
| 76 | Braxton County, WV | 29.1% | R R+51.9 | −4.9 | 5,313 | |
| 77 | Hancock County, IA | 29.0% | R R+47.4 | −3.5 | 5,939 | |
| 78 | Audubon County, IA | 28.6% | R R+38.3 | −2.5 | 3,249 | |
| 79 | Kearney County, NE | 28.5% | R R+57.9 | +0.8 | 3,615 | |
| 80 | Alfalfa County, OK | 28.5% | R R+76.6 | +0.6 | 2,160 | |
| 81 | Lake County, MN | 28.4% | D D+3.9 | +0.3 | 6,953 | |
| 82 | Linn County, MO | 28.2% | R R+57.2 | −3.3 | 5,687 | |
| 83 | Woods County, OK | 28.2% | R R+64.3 | +1.0 | 3,638 | |
| 84 | Redwood County, MN | 28.1% | R R+43.2 | −1.9 | 8,326 | |
| 85 | Cherokee County, IA | 28.0% | R R+45.7 | −6.4 | 6,105 | |
| 86 | Hardin County, IA | 28.0% | R R+38.3 | −6.3 | 8,460 | |
| 87 | McPherson County, KS | 27.9% | R R+41.1 | −0.7 | 14,104 | |
| 88 | Wilkin County, MN | 27.9% | R R+38.9 | −0.9 | 3,353 | |
| 89 | Knox County, NE | 27.6% | R R+63.1 | −3.3 | 4,448 | |
| 90 | Moody County, SD | 27.6% | R R+31.9 | −7.8 | 3,189 | |
| 91 | Spink County, SD | 27.6% | R R+39.0 | −4.0 | 3,139 | |
| 92 | Clay County, NE | 27.4% | R R+63.3 | −1.2 | 3,319 | |
| 93 | Big Stone County, MN | 27.0% | R R+29.5 | −2.2 | 2,824 | |
| 94 | Humboldt County, IA | 26.7% | R R+49.9 | −5.2 | 5,083 | |
| 95 | Rice County, KS | 26.5% | R R+56.7 | −3.5 | 3,966 | |
| 96 | Jefferson County, NE | 26.5% | R R+45.2 | −2.3 | 3,639 | |
| 97 | Sac County, IA | 26.4% | R R+51.5 | −3.2 | 5,460 | |
| 98 | Keokuk County, IA | 26.3% | R R+51.5 | −6.5 | 5,150 | |
| 99 | Wright County, IA | 26.3% | R R+36.4 | −2.2 | 5,723 | |
| 100 | York County, NE | 26.3% | R R+51.1 | +0.7 | 7,020 |
Source. Demographics — U.S. Census American Community Survey 2024 5-year (ancestry B04006, language C16001, income B19013/B19001, education S1501, poverty S1701); adherence — 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB); density — Census TIGER land area · counties and cities ≥ 5,000 population, ranked by mainline protestant; the medians are taken across the 100 top counties; the correlation is over all 2,811 eligible counties. Presidential results are two-party margins (MIT Election Lab); city results are precinct-derived for 2008–2024. A place can be demographically homogeneous and politically split — which is exactly what these tables are built to show. Real returns — nothing estimated.