Ann Arbor is a Democratic stronghold. About 81% of voters here vote Democratic and 19% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Ann Arbor typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ann Arbor, ~66% vote Democratic, ~15% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ann Arbor compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Ann Arbor leans more Democratic than 70 of 71 neighbors.
Ann Arbor runs about 63 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Ann Arbor sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Ann Arbor. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+75) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+40), a spread of about 35 points.
Why Ann Arbor 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 Ann Arbor, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 74% of adults in Ann Arbor hold a bachelor's degree, about 46 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Ann Arbor sits in the top fifth on density (about 86%, above 95% of cities). Ann Arbor runs against the grain of Michigan, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Ann Arbor, MI sits in the top tenth 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 Ann Arbor looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Ann Arbor 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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Ann Arbor have completed high school, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Barton Hills, MI D+39
- Dixboro, MI D+24
- Saline, MI D+21
- Ypsilanti, MI D+48
- Dexter, MI D+19
- Whitmore Lake, MI R+4
- Mooreville, MI R+11
- Lima Center, MI Even
- Bridgewater, MI R+12
- Salem, MI R+11
Cities with Similar Populations
- Garden Grove, CA Even
- North Hollywood, CA D+32
- Corona, CA Even
- Lancaster, PA D+14
- Wilmington, NC D+8
- Enterprise, NV D+6
- Van Nuys, CA D+32
- Cumming, GA R+25
- Erie, PA D+15
- Lake Worth, FL D+10
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.