53218 is a Democratic stronghold. About 88% of voters here vote Democratic and 12% Republican.
About 62% of adults in 53218 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 53218, ~54% vote Democratic, ~8% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 53218 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 53218 leans more Democratic than 47 of 51 neighbors.
53218 runs about 77 points more Democratic than Wisconsin as a whole. Wisconsin is roughly evenly split, and 53218 sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Why 53218 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 53218, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in 53218 live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 61% of adults in 53218 have never been married, above 98% of zip codes. 53218 runs against the grain of Wisconsin, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; 53218, WI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in 53218 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 53218 is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 48%, about 19 points below the Wisconsin average of 66%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 56% of households in 53218 rent, about 31 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 39% of adults in 53218 report food insecurity, above 98% of zip codes. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Wisconsin Elections Commission, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.