Colorado leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Colorado typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Colorado, ~43% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Colorado compares
Among states within 500 miles, Colorado is the most Democratic-leaning.
Politics vary noticeably by county within Colorado. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+34) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+20), a spread of about 54 points.
Why Colorado leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per state to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Colorado, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 45% of adults in Colorado hold a bachelor's degree, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Colorado sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Colorado looks the way it does
Turnout in Colorado 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 States
- Wyoming R+41
- New Mexico D+4
- Utah R+19
- Nebraska R+15
- Kansas R+14
- South Dakota R+29
- Arizona Even
- Oklahoma R+26
- Idaho R+34
- Montana R+20
States with Similar Populations
- Minnesota D+5
- Wisconsin Even
- Missouri R+14
- Maryland D+33
- South Carolina R+12
- Alabama R+23
- Indiana R+15
- Louisiana R+13
- Tennessee R+23
- Massachusetts D+26
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Colorado 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.