98526 leans heavily Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.
About 45% of adults in 98526 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 98526, ~29% vote Democratic, ~16% Republican, and ~55% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 98526 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 98526 is the most Democratic-leaning.
98526 runs about 12 points more Democratic than Washington as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 98526. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+72) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+37), a spread of about 109 points.
Why 98526 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 98526, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 44% of adults in 98526 have never been married, well above similar-sized zip codes (around 25%).
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; 98526, WA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in 98526 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 98526 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 50%, about 15 points below the Washington average of 65%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 84% of adults in 98526 have completed high school, below 82% of zip codes. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and 98526 sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. 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.