Billings leans Republican by roughly 20 points: about 40% of voters vote Democratic and 60% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Billings typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Billings, ~30% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Billings compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Billings is the least Republican-leaning.
Politically, Billings sits close to the rest of Montana.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Billings. The east side runs the most Democratic (Even) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+31), a spread of about 31 points.
Why Billings 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 Billings, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Billings votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 80%, far above the Montana average of 13%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Billings, MT sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Billings looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 96% of adults in Billings have completed high school, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Hesper, MT R+48
- Lockwood, MT R+43
- Billings Heights, MT R+56
- Acton, MT R+57
- Laurel, MT R+42
- Shepherd, MT R+62
- Huntley, MT R+64
- Molt, MT R+64
- Silesia, MT R+64
- Park City, MT R+66
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lakewood, CO D+22
- Flint, MI D+40
- College Station, TX D+9
- Sugar Land, TX Even
- Fairfax, VA D+35
- York, PA D+4
- Coral Springs, FL D+15
- Lakewood, NJ R+74
- Odessa, TX R+41
- Murrieta, CA R+14
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Montana 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.