Massachusetts

Despite casting the majority of its votes for Democratic candidate Obama, Plymouth County is the most Republican county in Massachusetts. Romney won 47.5% of the vote in the county. In the five years through 2013, more than 33% of residents had at least a bachelor’s degree, higher than the comparable national figure of 28.8%. Plymouth County was represented in Congress by Democrat Barney Frank until his retirement. Democrat Joseph Kennedy III was elected to succeed him.

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Michigan

Romney won 66.7% of the Ottawa County 2012 vote, the largest share of any county in Michigan, the state in which Romney was born. Relatively fewer people in the county lived in poverty from 2009 through 2013 than across the nation. In addition, nearly 90% of the county’s 267,017 residents identified solely as white. Unlike most predominantly Republican counties, more than 30% of residents had at least a bachelor’s degree over the five years through 2013.

Minnesota

Romney won 61% of the 2012 votes cast in Pipestone County. The county had a lower poverty rate from 2009 through 2013 than the national rate. Additionally, the county was predominantly white, with 93.5% of its 9,470 residents identifying solely as white. Pipestone County residents were also relatively poorly educated. While 32.6% of adults statewide were college-educated, only 16.8% of county residents had at least a bachelor’s degree, also well below the comparable national rate of 28.8%.

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Mississippi

Rankin County is the most Republican county in Mississippi, with Romney winning 75.4% of the county’s 2012 vote. From 2009 through 2013, 11.5% of county residents lived in poverty, nearly half the nation-leading comparable state poverty rate of 22.7%. Republican Gregg Harper currently represents the county in the House of Representatives.

Missouri

Some 75.1% of Bollinger County voters cast their ballots in 2012 for Romney. About 19.9% of county residents lived in poverty from 2009 through 2013, well above the national poverty rate of 15.4% over the same period. The county’s population was almost exclusively white, with 98% of its 12,408 residents identifying solely as white. Bollinger County residents were also poorly educated. Only 10.9% of residents had at least a bachelor’s degree, considerably lower than the comparable national rate of 28.8%.