Birchwood leans Republican by roughly 26 points: about 37% of voters vote Democratic and 63% Republican.
About 87% of adults in Birchwood typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Birchwood, ~32% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~13% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Birchwood compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Birchwood leans more Republican than 22 of 34 neighbors.
Birchwood runs about 25 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Birchwood. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+32) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+20), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Birchwood 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 Birchwood, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 85% of residents in Birchwood drive to work alone, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Birchwood, MI sits in the top quarter 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 Birchwood looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Birchwood 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 94% of households in Birchwood own their home, about 19 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Long Point, MI R+20
- Mullett Lake, MI R+29
- Topinabee, MI R+20
- Point Nipigon, MI R+30
- Cheboygan, MI R+22
- Van, MI R+34
- Brutus, MI R+25
- Indian River, MI R+22
- Burt Lake, MI R+17
- Pellston, MI R+33
Cities with Similar Populations
- Salt Flat, TX R+36
- Zenoria, LA R+96
- Diamond, OR R+65
- Swan Bluff, TN R+66
- Raymond, KS R+61
- Reager, KS R+84
- Enning, SD R+83
- Huelo, HI D+15
- Huff, ND R+69
- Boelus, NE R+64
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.