Benton Heights is a Democratic stronghold. About 78% of voters here vote Democratic and 22% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Benton Heights typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Benton Heights, ~57% vote Democratic, ~16% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Benton Heights compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Benton Heights is the most Democratic-leaning.
Benton Heights runs about 57 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Benton Heights sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Benton Heights. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+79) and the north side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+21), a spread of about 58 points.
Why Benton Heights 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 Benton Heights, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting. Non-Hispanic white share in Benton Heights is about 23%, about 49 points below the U.S. average of 72%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 43% of adults in Benton Heights have never been married, above 96% of cities. Benton Heights runs against the grain of Michigan, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Benton Heights, MI sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Benton Heights looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Benton Heights is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 42%, about 26 points below the Michigan average of 67%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Benton Harbor, MI D+42
- Twelve Corners, MI R+13
- Fair Plain, MI D+41
- Pearl Grange, MI R+24
- St. Joseph, MI Even
- Sodus, MI R+29
- Shoreham, MI D+4
- Lake Michigan Beach, MI R+26
- Shanghai Corners, MI R+40
Cities with Similar Populations
- Pisgah, AL R+78
- Bradford, OH R+64
- Cottondale, FL R+48
- Casey, IL R+56
- Ely, IA R+17
- Three Forks, MT R+46
- Somerville, OH R+63
- Leesburg, NJ D+13
- Louisiana, MO R+40
- Oakridge, OR R+8
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.