Bellingham leans heavily Democratic by roughly 50 points: about 75% of voters vote Democratic and 25% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Bellingham typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bellingham, ~56% vote Democratic, ~19% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bellingham compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Bellingham leans more Democratic than 41 of 49 neighbors.
Bellingham runs about 31 points more Democratic than Washington as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Bellingham. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+68) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+28), a spread of about 40 points.
Why Bellingham 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 Bellingham, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 70% of residents in Bellingham live in densely developed areas, about 34 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Bellingham sits in the top quarter (about 47%, above 92% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 43% of adults in Bellingham have never been married, above 95% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Bellingham, WA 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 Bellingham looks the way it does
Turnout in Bellingham 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
- Silver Beach, WA D+41
- Edgemoor, WA D+59
- Sudden Valley, WA D+43
- Marietta, WA D+41
- Lummi Island, WA D+54
- Strandell, WA R+30
- Ferndale, WA Even
- Lawrence, WA R+26
- Snug Harbor, WA D+55
- Wickersham, WA R+4
Cities with Similar Populations
- Keller, TX R+20
- Palm Bay, FL R+10
- St. Charles, MO R+6
- Boulder, CO D+69
- Rialto, CA D+20
- Saginaw, MI D+18
- Bethlehem, PA D+16
- Yakima, WA R+4
- West Jordan, UT R+7
- Manchester, NH D+21
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Washington Secretary 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.