Bernards leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Bernards typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bernards, ~39% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bernards compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Bernards leans more Democratic than 143 of 229 neighbors.
Politically, Bernards sits close to the rest of New Jersey.
Why Bernards 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 Bernards, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 62% of adults in Bernards hold a bachelor's degree, about 33 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Bernards sits in the top fifth on density (about 31%, above 81% of cities).
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Bernards, NJ sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Bernards looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Bernards 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 75%, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Bernards have completed high school, above 83% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Basking Ridge, NJ D+11
- Millington, NJ Even
- Warren, NJ R+4
- Stirling, NJ R+2
- Martinsville, NJ Even
- Gillette, NJ Even
- Bernardsville, NJ Even
- Madisonville, NJ Even
- Bedminster, NJ D+8
- Green Knoll, NJ D+6
Cities with Similar Populations
- North Utica, IL R+25
- Cecil, OH R+58
- Jonestown, MS D+59
- Dumontville, OH R+43
- Van Lear, KY R+65
- Derby Line, VT R+17
- Fort Valley, VA R+40
- Ouray, CO D+24
- Brilliant, OH R+44
- Bulger, PA R+40
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New Jersey Division 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.