Berkeley is a Democratic stronghold. About 86% of voters here vote Democratic and 14% Republican.
About 52% of adults in Berkeley typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Berkeley, ~45% vote Democratic, ~7% Republican, and ~48% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Berkeley compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Berkeley leans more Democratic than 146 of 177 neighbors.
Berkeley runs about 91 points more Democratic than Missouri as a whole. Missouri leans Republican overall, while Berkeley is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Berkeley. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+84) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+45), a spread of about 39 points.
Why Berkeley 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 Berkeley, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Berkeley live in densely developed areas, about 63 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 56% of adults in Berkeley have never been married, in the top fraction of cities. Berkeley runs against the grain of Missouri, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Berkeley, MO sits in the bottom tenth 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 Berkeley looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Berkeley 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 43%, about 14 points below the Missouri average of 57%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 49% of households in Berkeley rent, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 36% of adults in Berkeley report food insecurity, above 98% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Kinloch, MO D+77
- Calverton Park, MO D+53
- Ferguson, MO D+69
- Cool Valley, MO D+75
- Woodson Terrace, MO D+30
- Edmundson, MO D+27
- St. John, MO D+32
- Bel-Ridge, MO D+69
- Bellerive, MO D+56
- Normandy, MO D+75
Cities with Similar Populations
- Mathis, TX R+21
- Lake Hallie, WI R+16
- Warrenville, SC R+47
- North Scituate, RI R+15
- Elma, WA R+24
- Armonk, NY Even
- Fort Polk South, LA R+22
- Manhasset, NY Even
- Stacy, MN R+38
- Valley Falls, SC R+12
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Missouri 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.