Nelson County, Kentucky
Precinct data
Results by precinct
24 precincts · 22,852 votes
Precinct boundaries and identifiers are cycle-specific. This table does not join rows across years without a validated crosswalk.
| Precinct -B101B101 | 335 | 1,134 | 17 | 1,486 | 22.5% | 76.3% | R+53.8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precinct -B104B104 | 348 | 963 | 16 | 1,327 | 26.2% | 72.6% | R+46.3 |
| Precinct -E102E102 | 392 | 865 | 12 | 1,269 | 30.9% | 68.2% | R+37.3 |
| Precinct -B103B103 | 338 | 873 | 20 | 1,231 | 27.5% | 70.9% | R+43.5 |
| Precinct -A102A102 | 248 | 928 | 18 | 1,194 | 20.8% | 77.7% | R+57.0 |
| Precinct -D103D103 | 348 | 803 | 14 | 1,165 | 29.9% | 68.9% | R+39.1 |
| Precinct -A105A105 | 301 | 802 | 11 | 1,114 | 27.0% | 72.0% | R+45.0 |
| Precinct -D105D105 | 301 | 756 | 10 | 1,067 | 28.2% | 70.9% | R+42.6 |
| Precinct -C103C103 | 270 | 714 | 10 | 994 | 27.2% | 71.8% | R+44.7 |
| Precinct -D102D102 | 251 | 716 | 9 | 976 | 25.7% | 73.4% | R+47.6 |
| Precinct -D101D101 | 233 | 722 | 13 | 968 | 24.1% | 74.6% | R+50.5 |
| Precinct -A104A104 | 197 | 737 | 11 | 945 | 20.8% | 78.0% | R+57.1 |
| Precinct -C105C105 | 196 | 726 | 6 | 928 | 21.1% | 78.2% | R+57.1 |
| Precinct -E103E103 | 229 | 673 | 14 | 916 | 25.0% | 73.5% | R+48.5 |
| Precinct -D104D104 | 225 | 675 | 12 | 912 | 24.7% | 74.0% | R+49.3 |
| Precinct -A103A103 | 416 | 467 | 8 | 891 | 46.7% | 52.4% | R+5.7 |
| Precinct -C102C102 | 348 | 503 | 12 | 863 | 40.3% | 58.3% | R+18.0 |
| Precinct -E104E104 | 103 | 698 | 7 | 808 | 12.7% | 86.4% | R+73.6 |
| Precinct -E105E105 | 326 | 374 | 12 | 712 | 45.8% | 52.5% | R+6.7 |
| Precinct -B102B102 | 270 | 428 | 10 | 708 | 38.1% | 60.5% | R+22.3 |
| Precinct -C104C104 | 288 | 364 | 12 | 664 | 43.4% | 54.8% | R+11.4 |
| Precinct -E101E101 | 135 | 461 | 12 | 608 | 22.2% | 75.8% | R+53.6 |
| Precinct -C106C106 | 174 | 374 | 6 | 554 | 31.4% | 67.5% | R+36.1 |
| Precinct -C101C101 | 243 | 296 | 13 | 552 | 44.0% | 53.6% | R+9.6 |
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +27.2% |
| 1896 | +20.8% |
| 1900 | +26.6% |
| 1904 | +25.7% |
| 1908 | +25.8% |
| 1912 | +40.3% |
| 1916 | +25.9% |
| 1920 | +26.3% |
| 1924 | +29.6% |
| 1928 | +15.9% |
| 1932 | +42.9% |
| 1936 | +36.5% |
| 1940 | +33.0% |
| 1944 | +26.0% |
| 1948 | +34.5% |
| 1952 | +5.4% |
| 1956 | −11.8% |
| 1960 | +21.9% |
| 1964 | +53.5% |
| 1968 | +15.1% |
| 1972 | −10.2% |
| 1976 | +22.0% |
| 1980 | +23.8% |
| 1984 | −17.9% |
| 1988 | −4.9% |
| 1992 | +8.1% |
| 1996 | +6.7% |
| 2000 | −16.6% |
| 2004 | −21.6% |
| 2008 | −13.7% |
| 2012 | −16.5% |
| 2016 | −33.6% |
| 2020 | −36.6% |
| 2024 | −41.7% |
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | R | 34.1%5,787 | 65.9%11,205 | 16,993 |
| 2020 | R | 34.2%7,943 | 61.3%14,219 | 23,204 |
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Registration leans Republican; the presidential vote runs 38 points more Democratic.
36,497 registered voters · 2024
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
+229 net domestic migration · 2025
Net +2,695 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $57,438 in average income, against $74,959 for residents who stayed — 23% lower. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+22.3 on average — 19 points more Democratic-leaning than Nelson County, KY itself (R+41.7).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Jefferson County, KY247D+16.5
- Bullitt County, KY162R+51.0
- Hardin County, KY99R+29.3
- Washington County, KY62R+50.3
- Marion County, KY53R+43.5
- Spencer County, KY40R+56.7
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Jefferson County, KY182
- Bullitt County, KY115
- Hardin County, KY71
- Washington County, KY60
- Marion County, KY47
- Fayette County, KY33
Migration is one input to a place’s political change, not its cause — a shift can also come from residents changing their minds, generational turnover, or turnout. These figures describe the places people moved between; they do not measure how any mover voted.
| Year | Net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2011 | +201 |
| 2012 | +95 |
| 2013 | −49 |
| 2014 | +101 |
| 2015 | +76 |
| 2016 | +260 |
| 2017 | −18 |
| 2018 | +107 |
| 2019 | +294 |
| 2021 | +388 |
| 2022 | +253 |
| 2023 | +327 |
| 2024 | +431 |
| 2025 | +229 |
Nelson County, home to Bardstown and the heart of Kentucky's bourbon distilling region, has shifted steadily toward lopsided Republican margins over two decades, reflecting a rural realignment that mirrors the state's broader electoral trajectory.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 53.5 points in 1964 and a Republican high of 41.7 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 5.1 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 41.7 points.
A population of 47,606, a 89% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $69,562 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Jefferson County and Huron County.
The counties whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Browse places by community — income, education, race & ethnicity, language — all community cuts →
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Nelson County, Kentucky. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/21179/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.