Baton Rouge leans heavily Republican by roughly 38 points: about 31% of voters vote Democratic and 69% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Baton Rouge typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Baton Rouge, ~20% vote Democratic, ~43% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Baton Rouge compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Baton Rouge leans more Republican than 32 of 56 neighbors.
Baton Rouge runs about 20 points more Republican than South Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Baton Rouge. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+53) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+12), a spread of about 41 points.
Why Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 77% of households in Baton Rouge are family households, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 67%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Baton Rouge sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 5%, below 81% of cities).
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Baton Rouge, SC sits in the bottom 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 Baton Rouge looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Baton Rouge 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 60%, below 57% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Wilksburg, SC R+19
- Gayle Mill, SC R+31
- Leeds, SC Even
- Mckeown, SC Even
- Chester, SC D+5
- Lowrys, SC R+59
- Lockhart, SC R+65
- Carlisle, SC D+39
- Cornwell, SC R+46
Cities with Similar Populations
- Litchville, ND R+55
- Jacksonville, NJ R+27
- Shady Glen, CA R+22
- Gilman, VT R+34
- Lecta, OH R+66
- Goose Pond, NC R+12
- Marshfield, ME R+32
- Rulo, NE R+62
- Lake View, AR Even
- Medicine Lake, MT R+59
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, 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.