24/7 Wall St. Insights
- Trump’s re-election has cast uncertainty over the future of clean energy and climate science.
- While Trump has pledged to reverse Biden climate legislation, many Republican counties benefit from renewable tax credits and are worried about climate change.
- Although worry over climate change correlates with Democratic political affiliation, some Republican counties express a high degree of worry about global warming.
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Trump’s sweeping re-election last week has created an environment of uncertainty in the clean energy and climate science space. While Trump has pledged to repeal the landmark climate legislation of his predecessor, many of the most Republican counties have benefited from Biden era tax credits provided by the Inflation Reduction Act. Other Republican counties are in floodplains and coastal areas that are high risk for climate disaster, and harbor legitimate worry about global warming.
In their biennial survey, the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication asked participants, “How worried are you about global warming?” with options ranging from “very worried” to “not at all worried”. While the most worried counties skew Democrat, there are several dozen Republican strongholds that expressed climate worry disproportionate to their voting behavior.
To determine the Republican counties that are worried about climate change the most, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on climate change belief from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Counties where at least 75% of residents voted for Donald J. Trump in 2020 were ranked based on the percentage of surveyed residents who answered that they are “somewhat” or “very worried” about global warming in 2023. Supplemental data on median household income is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and is for 2022. Data on natural hazard risk rating is from FEMA.
50. Keya Paha County, NE
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.1%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 90.0%
- Median household income: $63,977
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Springview
49. Walton County, FL
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.1%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 75.4%
- Median household income: $74,832
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Moderate
- County seat: DeFuniak Springs
48. Bourbon County, KS
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.2%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 75.2%
- Median household income: $55,826
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Fort Scott
47. Elko County, NV
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.2%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 76.2%
- Median household income: $87,755
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Moderate
- County seat: Elko
46. Kerr County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.3%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 75.3%
- Median household income: $66,713
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Low
- County seat: Kerrville
45. Texas County, OK
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.3%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 81.6%
- Median household income: $55,682
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Low
- County seat: Guymon
44. Liberty County, MT
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.3%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 75.8%
- Median household income: $48,047
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Chester
43. Taylor County, IA
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.4%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 76.0%
- Median household income: $65,926
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Bedford
42. Cherry County, NE
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.5%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 87.1%
- Median household income: $62,373
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Valentine
41. Burleson County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.7%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 78.3%
- Median household income: $71,745
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Caldwell
40. Esmeralda County, NV
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.7%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 82.3%
- Median household income: $40,694
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Goldfield
39. Harmon County, OK
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.7%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 80.1%
- Median household income: $55,729
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Hollis
38. Menard County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.8%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 80.1%
- Median household income: $40,945
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Menard
37. Foard County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 55.8%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 80.8%
- Median household income: $41,944
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Crowell
36. Johnson County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.0%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 75.9%
- Median household income: $77,058
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Moderate
- County seat: Cleburne
35. Edwards County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.0%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 83.8%
- Median household income: $40,809
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Rocksprings
34. Hamilton County, KS
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.0%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 81.3%
- Median household income: $58,750
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Syracuse
33. Creek County, OK
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.1%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 76.4%
- Median household income: $61,657
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Moderate
- County seat: Sapulpa
32. Cochran County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.1%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 80.9%
- Median household income: $41,597
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Morton
31. Rabun County, GA
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.2%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 78.1%
- Median household income: $57,261
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Clayton
30. Jackson County, OK
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.2%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 77.8%
- Median household income: $60,954
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Low
- County seat: Altus
29. Yoakum County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.3%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 82.6%
- Median household income: $80,317
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Low
- County seat: Plains
28. Briscoe County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.3%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 88.1%
- Median household income: $35,446
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Silverton
27. Terry County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.4%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 77.9%
- Median household income: $42,694
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Brownfield
26. Lea County, NM
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.5%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 79.0%
- Median household income: $65,855
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Moderate
- County seat: Lovington
25. Mason County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.5%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 80.5%
- Median household income: $77,583
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Mason
24. Gillespie County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.5%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 79.0%
- Median household income: $70,162
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Low
- County seat: Fredericksburg
23. Parmer County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.8%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 80.6%
- Median household income: $65,575
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Low
- County seat: Farwell
22. Floyd County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.8%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 77.7%
- Median household income: $49,321
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Low
- County seat: Floydada
21. Nolan County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.9%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 77.1%
- Median household income: $47,437
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Low
- County seat: Sweetwater
20. Midland County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 56.9%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 77.5%
- Median household income: $90,123
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Moderate
- County seat: Midland
19. Aransas County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 57.1%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 75.2%
- Median household income: $58,168
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Moderate
- County seat: Rockport
18. Haskell County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 57.2%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 83.1%
- Median household income: $52,786
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Haskell
17. Clark County, ID
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 57.3%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 84.9%
- Median household income: $53,500
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Dubois
16. Hall County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 57.4%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 85.1%
- Median household income: $43,873
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Memphis
15. Kendall County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 57.7%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 75.9%
- Median household income: $104,196
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Low
- County seat: Boerne
14. McMullen County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 57.7%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 89.1%
- Median household income: $60,313
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Tilden
13. Karnes County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 57.9%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 75.6%
- Median household income: $57,798
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Low
- County seat: Karnes City
12. Sherman County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 58.1%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 89.3%
- Median household income: $66,169
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Stratford
11. Crockett County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 58.2%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 77.5%
- Median household income: $64,103
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Ozona
10. Ward County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 58.4%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 79.8%
- Median household income: $70,771
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Monahans
9. Andrews County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 58.5%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 84.3%
- Median household income: $86,458
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Andrews
8. Schleicher County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 58.7%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 81.1%
- Median household income: $53,774
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Eldorado
7. Castro County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 58.7%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 76.9%
- Median household income: $59,886
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Dimmitt
6. Dawson County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 59.2%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 77.9%
- Median household income: $45,268
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Lamesa
5. Hockley County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 59.3%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 80.7%
- Median household income: $53,283
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Low
- County seat: Levelland
4. Bailey County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 60.2%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 77.1%
- Median household income: $69,830
- FEMA disaster risk level: Relatively Low
- County seat: Muleshoe
3. Cottle County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 60.4%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 81.6%
- Median household income: $47,625
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Paducah
2. Reagan County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 60.6%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 83.8%
- Median household income: $70,319
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Big Lake
1. Sutton County, TX
- Residents who are worried about global warming: 61.3%
- Adults who voted Republican in 2020: 78.5%
- Median household income: $56,778
- FEMA disaster risk level: Very Low
- County seat: Sonora
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