97231 leans heavily Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.
About 81% of adults in 97231 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 97231, ~53% vote Democratic, ~28% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 97231 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 97231 leans more Democratic than 15 of 46 neighbors.
97231 runs about 16 points more Democratic than Oregon as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 97231. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+37) and the north side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+20), a spread of about 17 points.
Why 97231 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 97231, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 55% of adults in 97231 hold a bachelor's degree, about 27 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; 97231, OR sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in 97231 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 97231 is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. 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.