Albany County leans Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Albany County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Albany County, ~43% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Albany County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Albany County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Albany County runs about 17 points more Democratic than New York as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Albany County. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+60) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+4), a spread of about 64 points.
Why Albany 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 Albany County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 77% of residents in Albany County live in densely developed areas, about 41 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Albany County sits in the top quarter (about 47%, above 96% of counties). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 41% of adults in Albany County have never been married, above 95% of counties.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Albany County, NY 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 Albany County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Albany County 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 66%, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Albany County have completed high school, above 81% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Rensselaer County, NY D+6
- Schenectady County, NY D+17
- Saratoga County, NY Even
- Greene County, NY R+13
- Columbia County, NY D+12
- Schoharie County, NY R+29
- Montgomery County, NY R+24
- Berkshire County, MA D+27
- Fulton County, NY R+28
- Bennington County, VT D+17
Counties with Similar Populations
- Rockingham County, NH D+6
- Lorain County, OH R+5
- Northampton County, PA Even
- Lubbock County, TX R+23
- McHenry County, IL R+5
- Escambia County, FL R+13
- Fayette County, KY D+24
- Lancaster County, NE D+7
- Durham County, NC D+59
- Luzerne County, PA R+14
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New York State Board 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.