Alachua County leans Democratic by roughly 22 points: about 61% of voters vote Democratic and 39% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Alachua County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Alachua County, ~41% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Alachua County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Alachua County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Alachua County runs about 35 points more Democratic than Florida as a whole. Florida leans Republican overall, while Alachua County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Alachua County. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+54) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+19), a spread of about 73 points.
Why Alachua County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Alachua County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 50% of adults in Alachua County hold a bachelor's degree, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Alachua County sits in the top fifth on density (about 60%, above 85% of counties). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 45% of adults in Alachua County have never been married, above 97% of counties.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Alachua County, FL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Alachua County looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 95% of adults in Alachua County have completed high school, about 6 points above the Florida average of 89%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Union County, FL R+61
- Gilchrist County, FL R+68
- Bradford County, FL R+50
- Levy County, FL R+56
- Columbia County, FL R+44
- Marion County, FL R+28
- Dixie County, FL R+67
- Putnam County, FL R+42
- Baker County, FL R+61
- Clay County, FL R+31
Counties with Similar Populations
- Merced County, CA R+3
- Kitsap County, WA D+18
- York County, SC R+17
- Atlantic County, NJ D+4
- San Luis Obispo County, CA D+8
- St. Johns County, FL R+26
- St. Joseph County, IN D+9
- Benton County, AR R+26
- Ingham County, MI D+31
- Frederick County, MD D+10
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Florida Division of 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.