97116 leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 67% of adults in 97116 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 97116, ~37% vote Democratic, ~30% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 97116 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 97116 leans more Democratic than 8 of 15 neighbors.
97116 runs about 5 points more Republican than Oregon as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 97116. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+21) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+19), a spread of about 40 points.
Why 97116 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 97116, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting. Non-Hispanic white share in 97116 is about 63%, about 9 points below the U.S. average of 72%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in 97116 have never been married, above 81% of zip codes.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; 97116, OR sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in 97116 looks the way it does
Turnout in 97116 sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. 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 Oregon Secretary of State, Elections Division, 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.