Athens leans heavily Republican by roughly 44 points: about 28% of voters vote Democratic and 72% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Athens typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Athens, ~20% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Athens compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Athens leans more Republican than 48 of 66 neighbors.
Athens runs about 43 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
Why Athens 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 Athens, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 13% of adults in Athens hold a bachelor's degree, about 13 points below the Michigan average of 26%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Athens, MI sits in the top quarter 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 Athens looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Athens 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 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Pine Creek, MI R+42
- Fulton, MI R+40
- East Leroy, MI R+40
- Union City, MI R+41
- Sherwood, MI R+46
- Joppa, MI R+38
- Burlington, MI R+47
- Leonidas, MI R+50
- West Leroy, MI R+39
- Old Mill Gardens, MI R+34
Cities with Similar Populations
- Wallins Creek, KY R+77
- Pocahontas, IL R+54
- Abrams, WI R+44
- Burns Harbor, IN R+11
- Ruffsdale, PA R+48
- Lepanto, AR R+49
- Malone, WI R+42
- Central City, PA R+57
- Scotts Mills, OR R+25
- Ross, OH R+61
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.