Bear leans heavily Democratic by roughly 32 points: about 66% of voters vote Democratic and 34% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Bear typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bear, ~51% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bear compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Bear leans more Democratic than 125 of 132 neighbors.
Bear runs about 17 points more Democratic than Delaware as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Bear. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+56) and the east side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+13), a spread of about 43 points.
Why Bear 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 Bear, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 69% of residents in Bear live in densely developed areas, about 33 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Bear sits in the top quarter (about 38%, above 85% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 32% of adults in Bear have never been married, above 82% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Bear, DE sits in the top quarter 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 Bear looks the way it does
Turnout in Bear sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Kirkwood, DE D+29
- Glasgow, DE D+24
- Brookside, DE D+24
- St. Georges, DE Even
- Newark, DE D+34
- Delaware City, DE R+4
- New Castle, DE D+48
- Elkton, MD R+17
- Port Penn, DE R+4
Cities with Similar Populations
- Golden, CO D+29
- North Atlanta, GA D+38
- Chatsworth, CA D+16
- West Bend, WI R+23
- San Bruno, CA D+43
- Sun Prairie, WI D+37
- Leominster, MA D+9
- Moline, IL D+16
- Parkville, MD D+39
- Morrisville, NC D+37
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Delaware Department 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.