akashic
1876–2024
Muhlenberg County, Kentucky
Muhlenberg County·Kentucky

Muhlenberg County changed direction in the last decade.

Once a union coal stronghold, now among Kentucky's most lopsided Republican counties

18762024·38 elections
Muhlenberg County, Kentucky · Acdixon · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+54
in 2024
Archetype
Recent convert
since the recent cycles
Population
30,591
2024 ACS
Most similar
Perry County
TN · similarity 0.99
25 precincts · 13,692 votes cast
Trump · R+54
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−54.4%
3,04810,49113,692
2020R
−48.8%
3,54510,49714,235
2016R
−46.9%
3,2729,39313,060
2012R
−23.5%
4,7717,76212,739
2008R
−1.8%
6,2216,44712,889
2004R
−0.8%
6,6366,74913,479
2000D
+6.5%
6,2955,51811,956
1996D
+26.3%
6,5643,56911,386
1992D
+33.2%
7,9013,55113,114
1988D
+12.5%
6,9125,36912,322
1984D
+0.5%
6,1576,09412,277
1980D
+14.7%
6,6164,89311,706
1976D
+24.2%
7,0584,29211,449
1972R
−26.2%
3,2465,5968,978
1968R
−1.7%
3,6883,8539,750
1964D
+32.0%
6,4213,3009,741
1960R
−14.8%
4,4275,96810,395
1956R
−5.6%
4,7525,32310,113
1952D
+2.8%
5,0374,7619,812
1948D
+11.8%
4,4263,4788,031
1944R
−11.6%
3,6574,6188,304
1940R
−1.8%
5,1405,33210,500
1936D
+20.9%
6,3854,16810,628
1932D
+24.2%
7,1624,34911,630
1928R
−12.9%
5,1306,65111,830
1924R
−7.9%
4,3795,21010,471
1920R
−15.7%
4,8246,66711,753
1916R
−9.6%
2,9003,5336,601
1912D
+18.9%
2,0931,0385,596
1908R
−5.4%
2,7403,0635,962
1904R
−11.5%
1,9542,4764,555
1900R
−14.4%
1,8572,4934,409
1896R
−12.9%
1,7002,2174,016
1892R
−7.9%
1,4211,6883,389
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
African American
1.6%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Baptist
58.9%
Methodist
5.7%
Other Christian
5.6%
Pentecostal & Holiness
1.3%
Mainline Protestant
1.3%
Catholic & Orthodox
1.2%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 26.0% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Muhlenberg County's political identity shifted sharply as its coal industry declined over recent decades. In 2024 it delivered an R+54.4 presidential margin, reflecting a broader realignment across western Kentucky's former mining belt.

The 2004 election was the turning point, when the Republican candidate carried the county by one points. The 2024 margin was fifty-four points, in line with the county's new direction.

The demographics suggest why. A population of 30,591, a 92% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $51,927 situate the county in the broader realignment patterns of recent cycles. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Perry County and Dickenson County.