98205 leans slightly Republican by roughly 8 points: about 46% of voters vote Democratic and 54% Republican.
About 91% of adults in 98205 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 98205, ~42% vote Democratic, ~49% Republican, and ~9% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 98205 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 98205 leans more Republican than 18 of 23 neighbors.
98205 runs about 26 points more Republican than Washington as a whole. Washington leans Democratic overall, while 98205 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 98205. The south side is the most split-leaning (R+16) and the east side is the least split-leaning (Even), a spread of about 16 points.
Why 98205 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 98205, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 82% of households in 98205 are family households, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 67%. Dense places usually vote Democratic, but 98205 runs against that pattern. 98205 runs against the grain of Washington, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Renting and voter turnout
Places with homeowner-heavy households tend to turn out at a higher rate; 98205, WA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in 98205 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 98205 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 91% of households in 98205 own their home, compared to around 67% in nearby 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 Washington Secretary of State, Elections, 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.