Now that we’re headed towards the next big election, we wanted to get a better sense of what parts of Kentucky would be the most likely to back Donald Trump again.
Specifically, which cities have the highest number of conservative voters in the Bluegrass State?
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to measure how each city in Kentucky with populations greater than 5,000 voted in past elections. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted Republican were named the most conservative cities in the state.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 most conservative places in Kentucky for 2024
If you’re wondering, Lexington-Fayette Urban County is the most liberal city in Kentucky of all those we measured.
And to be clear, we didn’t form this list based on our own biases — we relied on the cold hard data. For more on how we ran the numbers, keep on reading. Then we’ll take a closer look at each of our top 10 most conservative cities in Kentucky.
Additional reading about Kentucky and the most conservative places in the country:
The 10 Most Conservative Places In Kentucky For 2024
/10
Percent Republican: 83.0%
More on Corbin: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 82.7%
More on London: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 81.9%
More on Williamsburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 81.0%
More on Middlesborough: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 80.7%
More on Somerset: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 80.4%
More on Monticello: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 79.9%
More on Pikeville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 78.9%
More on Leitchfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 77.6%
More on Mayfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 76.5%
More on Hazard: Real Estate
How we determined the most conservative cities in Kentucky for 2024
To find the most conservative places in Kentucky, we used Saturday Night Science – the argument you’d make at a bar – to find the cities with the most conservatives.
We started by making a list of every city in Kentucky over 5,000 people based on the 2018-2022 American Community Survey. That left us with 80 cities and towns.
We then measured the voting record and MIT election data to determine which places rock the most rightward in their allegiances by:
- Percentage Of Votes For The Republican President In 2020
Because no voting data exists at the city level, we used county-level election results from the 2020 election. We assigned every city in a county the percentage of votes that went to the Republicans, effectively extending the county’s results to the city level. In cases where larger cities encompassed an entire county, the election outcomes accurately reflected the city’s political landscape.
Next, we ranked each city from 1 to 80 for each criterion, where number one was the most conservative.
The winner, Corbin, is “The Most Conservative City in Kentucky For 2024”. The most liberal place in Kentucky was Lexington-Fayette Urban County.
We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the most conservative places to live in Kentucky.
Summing Up The Conservative Strongholds in Kentucky
Well, there you have it, the places in Kentucky that have the highest number of conservatives per capita, with Corbin ranking as the most conservative in the entire state.
The most conservative cities in Kentucky are Corbin, London, Williamsburg, Middlesborough, Somerset, Monticello, Pikeville, Leitchfield, Mayfield, and Hazard.
If you’re curious, here are the least conservative cities in Kentucky:
- Lexington-Fayette Urban County
- Lyndon
- Douglass Hills
For more Kentucky reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Kentucky
- Cheapest Places To Live In Kentucky
- Most Dangerous Cities In Kentucky
- Richest Cities In Kentucky
- Safest Places In Kentucky
- Worst Places To Live In Kentucky
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Kentucky
Most Conservative Places In Kentucky
| Rank | City | Population | % Conservative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corbin, KY | 8,611 | 83.0% |
| 2 | London, KY | 7,612 | 82.7% |
| 3 | Williamsburg, KY | 5,229 | 81.9% |
| 4 | Middlesborough, KY | 9,383 | 81.0% |
| 5 | Somerset, KY | 11,998 | 80.7% |
| 6 | Monticello, KY | 5,770 | 80.4% |
| 7 | Pikeville, KY | 7,563 | 79.9% |
| 8 | Leitchfield, KY | 6,432 | 78.9% |
| 9 | Mayfield, KY | 10,011 | 77.6% |
| 10 | Hazard, KY | 5,194 | 76.5% |
| 11 | Princeton, KY | 6,248 | 76.3% |
| 12 | Campbellsville, KY | 11,434 | 74.9% |
| 13 | Central City, KY | 5,740 | 73.8% |
| 14 | Russellville, KY | 7,186 | 73.4% |
| 15 | Madisonville, KY | 19,433 | 73.3% |
| 16 | Shepherdsville, KY | 14,136 | 73.2% |
| 17 | Mount Washington, KY | 17,987 | 73.2% |
| 18 | Hillview, KY | 8,681 | 73.2% |
| 19 | Glasgow, KY | 15,043 | 73.1% |
| 20 | Lawrenceburg, KY | 11,749 | 72.9% |
| 21 | Harrodsburg, KY | 9,057 | 72.5% |
| 22 | Flatwoods, KY | 7,312 | 71.9% |
| 23 | Cynthiana, KY | 6,355 | 71.5% |
| 24 | Mount Sterling, KY | 7,532 | 70.1% |
| 25 | Maysville, KY | 8,831 | 68.8% |
| 26 | Lebanon, KY | 6,274 | 68.5% |
| 27 | Bardstown, KY | 13,564 | 67.6% |
| 28 | Franklin, KY | 10,141 | 67.4% |
| 29 | Florence, KY | 32,056 | 66.9% |
| 30 | Union, KY | 7,369 | 66.9% |
| 31 | Walton, KY | 5,492 | 66.9% |
| 32 | Ashland, KY | 21,542 | 65.8% |
| 33 | Winchester, KY | 19,080 | 65.2% |
| 34 | Nicholasville, KY | 31,352 | 65.1% |
| 35 | Wilmore, KY | 6,017 | 65.1% |
| 36 | Paducah, KY | 26,869 | 65.1% |
| 37 | Murray, KY | 17,414 | 65.1% |
| 38 | Paris, KY | 10,143 | 64.2% |
| 39 | Shelbyville, KY | 17,239 | 63.9% |
| 40 | Oak Grove, KY | 7,895 | 63.2% |
| 41 | Hopkinsville, KY | 31,042 | 63.2% |
| 42 | Owensboro, KY | 60,019 | 63.0% |
| 43 | Richmond, KY | 34,883 | 62.3% |
| 44 | Berea, KY | 15,404 | 62.3% |
| 45 | Henderson, KY | 28,166 | 61.5% |
| 46 | Georgetown, KY | 37,510 | 61.4% |
| 47 | Danville, KY | 17,191 | 61.3% |
| 48 | Elizabethtown, KY | 31,425 | 61.0% |
| 49 | Vine Grove, KY | 6,611 | 61.0% |
| 50 | Radcliff, KY | 22,981 | 61.0% |
| 51 | La Grange, KY | 10,073 | 59.7% |
| 52 | Crestwood, KY | 6,175 | 59.7% |
| 53 | Morehead, KY | 7,001 | 59.6% |
| 54 | Fort Wright, KY | 5,841 | 58.6% |
| 55 | Covington, KY | 40,923 | 58.6% |
| 56 | Erlanger, KY | 19,577 | 58.6% |
| 57 | Edgewood, KY | 8,447 | 58.6% |
| 58 | Independence, KY | 28,722 | 58.6% |
| 59 | Taylor Mill, KY | 6,851 | 58.6% |
| 60 | Villa Hills, KY | 7,331 | 58.6% |
| 61 | Fort Mitchell, KY | 8,667 | 58.6% |
| 62 | Elsmere, KY | 9,126 | 58.6% |
| 63 | Newport, KY | 14,190 | 58.3% |
| 64 | Highland Heights, KY | 6,566 | 58.3% |
| 65 | Dayton, KY | 5,674 | 58.3% |
| 66 | Bellevue, KY | 5,596 | 58.3% |
| 67 | Fort Thomas, KY | 17,310 | 58.3% |
| 68 | Alexandria, KY | 10,322 | 58.3% |
| 69 | Cold Spring, KY | 6,258 | 58.3% |
| 70 | Bowling Green, KY | 72,385 | 57.4% |
| 71 | Versailles, KY | 10,297 | 55.0% |
| 72 | Frankfort, KY | 28,460 | 49.5% |
| 73 | St. Matthews, KY | 17,511 | 39.0% |
| 74 | Jeffersontown, KY | 28,796 | 39.0% |
| 75 | Middletown, KY | 9,594 | 39.0% |
| 76 | Louisville/jefferson County Metro Government (Balance), KY | 629,176 | 39.0% |
| 77 | Shively, KY | 15,595 | 39.0% |
| 78 | Douglass Hills, KY | 5,466 | 39.0% |
| 79 | Lyndon, KY | 10,997 | 39.0% |
| 80 | Lexington-Fayette Urban County, KY | 321,276 | 38.5% |