Albany, NY Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Albany

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Albany leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.

 

About 71% of adults in the Albany area typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in the Albany area, ~40% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Albany compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Albany leans more Democratic than 115 of 133 neighbors.

Politically, Albany sits close to the rest of New York.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Albany. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+47) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+17), a spread of about 64 points.

Why Albany leans the way it does

This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Albany, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. About 64% of residents in the Albany area live in densely developed areas, about 28 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Albany sits in the top quarter (about 42%, above 89% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in the Albany area have never been married, above 89% of cities.

Walkability and Democratic lean

Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Albany, 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 looks the way it does

Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Albany 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%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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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.