Busby leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 37% of adults in Busby typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Busby, ~20% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~63% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Busby compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Busby leans more Democratic than 2 of 4 neighbors.
Busby runs about 29 points more Democratic than Montana as a whole. Montana leans Republican overall, while Busby is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Busby. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+42) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+8), a spread of about 34 points.
Why Busby 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 Busby, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 45% of adults in Busby have never been married, well above similar-sized cities (around 28%). Busby runs against the grain of Montana, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with renter-heavy households tend to turn out at a lower rate; Busby, MT sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Busby looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Busby is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 43%, about 19 points below the Montana average of 62%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 43% of households in Busby rent, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 33% of adults in Busby report food insecurity, above 97% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Kirby, MT D+7
- Lame Deer, MT D+40
- Garryowen, MT D+37
- Birney, MT R+8
- Lodge Grass, MT D+26
- Sumatra, MT R+66
- Birney Day School, MT D+14
- Crow Agency, MT D+28
- Colstrip, MT R+52
- Decker, MT Even
Cities with Similar Populations
- Remsenburg, NY Even
- Langsville, OH R+61
- Cottekill, NY D+36
- Montreat, NC D+17
- Black Rock, AR R+69
- Limestone, NY R+41
- Sitka, MI R+40
- Oneida, IL R+37
- Bent Mountain, VA R+27
- Trinidad, WA R+39
All Local Stats
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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.