akashic
1876–2024
State House District 85·Kentucky

Kentucky 85th State House District has voted Republican in twenty-eight straight presidential cycles.

One of Kentucky's most decisively Republican legislative districts

1876 — 2024·38 elections
KY
Latest
R+67
in 2024
Archetype
Republican loyalist
since the recent cycles
Population
45,035
2024 ACS

Kentucky 85th State House District, Kentucky: Republican loyalist district. In 2024, voted R+67%. Republican peak: R+67 in 2016.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+67MIT Election Lab
Political archetype
Republican loyalistAkashic typology
Population
45,0352024 5-year
Median household income
$53,9502024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
94.3%2024 5-year
Black
0.7%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
2.6%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+3 in 1912MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+67 in 2016MIT Election Lab
2024 results by constituent county
2 counties · 0 D · 2 R
R+60
D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−66.7%
3,38817,45821,090
R
−64.0%
3,63717,11821,054
R
−67.5%
2,73015,32718,672
R
−61.5%
3,18813,74517,160
R
−56.2%
3,63913,24317,078
R
−53.1%
3,91512,88816,908
R
−47.4%
3,62110,30014,105
R
−34.8%
3,4507,67312,142
R
−29.5%
3,5697,22312,392
R
−46.3%
3,0338,31711,402
R
−52.1%
2,7668,82211,631
R
−33.6%
3,9137,98312,104
R
−23.2%
3,5105,6489,223
R
−53.9%
1,9386,5328,526
R
−44.2%
1,6945,2488,048
R
−12.8%
3,5044,5348,069
R
−57.1%
1,9547,1619,115
R
−46.7%
2,3126,3758,707
R
−41.6%
2,3585,7348,106
R
−31.8%
2,2564,3836,698
R
−36.9%
2,2754,9617,270
R
−27.4%
2,8925,0888,002
R
−24.5%
2,7644,5657,342
R
−16.2%
3,0844,2767,380
R
−58.8%
1,3945,3826,784
R
−33.0%
1,7673,6795,801
R
−34.7%
2,0724,2916,394
R
−26.0%
1,4182,4343,910
D
+3.4%
1,1541,0413,312
R
−30.5%
1,3852,6414,120
R
−32.5%
1,0942,1893,365
R
−30.0%
1,2682,3763,693
R
−27.9%
1,1752,1113,355
R
−14.8%
9871,3622,540
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Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
16.6%
American
14.2%
Irish
9.8%
German
9.6%
Scottish
1.8%
Italian
1.2%
French
0.9%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 41.5 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.7%
85+
1.5%
2.4%
75–84
2.8%
5.3%
65–74
5.9%
6.7%
55–64
7.2%
6.4%
45–54
6.4%
6.3%
35–44
6.3%
6.2%
25–34
6.2%
3.8%
18–24
3.6%
8.7%
5–17
8.1%
3.0%
<5
2.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$53,950
State House District 85 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State House District 85$53,950
Kentucky$63,726
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
20.0%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1824.2%
Working age (18–64)18.5%
Seniors (65+)20.9%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
98.0%
speak English only
Spanish1.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.5%
Other Indo-European0.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Baptist
37.2%
Other Christian
6.2%
Pentecostal & Holiness
2.9%
Methodist
2.6%
Catholic & Orthodox
1.0%
Mainline Protestant
0.6%
Non-Christian
0.2%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 49.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

With a 2024 presidential margin of R+61.8, this eastern or rural Kentucky district ranks among the state's most one-sided, reflecting deep partisan alignment typical of the region's post-realignment electorate.

The Republican margin in Kentucky 85th State House District reached its widest at sixty-seven points in 2016. The margin in 2024 was sixty-seven points, in line with the district's deep historical pattern.

Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $53,950, a 94% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 45,035 together describe a district whose political habits are deeply settled.

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 →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
State House District 85, Kentucky. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/21085/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did State House District 85, Kentucky vote in 2024?
In 2024, State House District 85, Kentucky voted Republican by 66.7 points (R+67), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 21,090 votes cast, 3,388 went Democratic and 17,458 went Republican.
What is State House District 85, Kentucky's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State House District 85, Kentucky as a "Republican loyalist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 1 times, Republican 33 times, and other 0 times.
When did State House District 85, Kentucky last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State House District 85, Kentucky voted Democratic was 1912.
How many people live in State House District 85, Kentucky?
State House District 85, Kentucky has a population of 45,035 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State House District 85, Kentucky?
Median household income in State House District 85, Kentucky is $53,950 — below the national median of $80,734. The Kentucky state median is $63,726.
What is the political history of State House District 85, Kentucky?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State House District 85, Kentucky from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 1 went Democratic and 33 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Republican loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.