Burien leans heavily Democratic by roughly 38 points: about 69% of voters vote Democratic and 31% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Burien typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Burien, ~44% vote Democratic, ~20% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Burien compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Burien leans more Democratic than 87 of 109 neighbors.
Burien runs about 20 points more Democratic than Washington as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Burien. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+50) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+26), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Burien 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 Burien, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 88% of residents in Burien live in densely developed areas, about 51 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Burien sits in the top quarter (about 35%, above 81% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 35% of adults in Burien have never been married, above 87% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Burien, WA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Burien looks the way it does
Turnout in Burien sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Normandy Park, WA D+30
- White Center, WA D+42
- Boulevard Park, WA D+34
- Tukwila, WA D+38
- SeaTac, WA D+37
- Bryn Mawr-Skyway, WA D+48
- Des Moines, WA D+31
- Vashon, WA D+51
- Renton, WA D+33
Cities with Similar Populations
- El Mirage, AZ D+3
- West Hills, CA D+16
- University Place, WA D+29
- Richmond West, FL R+25
- Pleasant Hill, CA D+41
- Inver Grove Heights, MN D+10
- Mount Airy, NC R+49
- Glendale Heights, IL D+14
- Randolph, MA D+49
- Daphne, AL R+40
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Washington 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.