Black River leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Black River typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Black River, ~25% vote Democratic, ~50% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Black River compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Black River leans more Republican than 5 of 18 neighbors.
Black River runs about 32 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Black River. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+46) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+29), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Black River 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 Black River, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Black River live in densely developed areas, about 26 points below the Michigan average of 31%.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Black River, MI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Black River looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Black River 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 91% of households in Black River own their home, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lincoln, MI R+39
- Spruce, MI R+29
- Harrisville, MI R+35
- Ossineke, MI R+37
- Killmaster, MI R+48
- Hubbard Lake, MI R+44
- Barton City, MI R+46
- Mikado, MI R+44
- Greenbush, MI R+31
- Alpena, MI R+16
Cities with Similar Populations
- Cottonville, AL R+68
- Cross Anchor, SC R+66
- West Berkshire, VT R+41
- Sunrise, MN R+43
- Bremo Bluff, VA R+15
- Caney, LA R+90
- Bowdle, SD R+62
- Ione, OR R+58
- Woodland, MN D+13
- Westchester, IN R+72
All Local Stats
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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.