Butler leans slightly Republican by roughly 10 points: about 45% of voters vote Democratic and 55% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Butler typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Butler, ~35% vote Democratic, ~43% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Butler compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Butler leans more Republican than 185 of 272 neighbors.
Butler runs about 16 points more Republican than New Jersey as a whole. New Jersey leans Democratic overall, while Butler is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Butler. The southwest side is the most split-leaning (R+16) and the northeast side is the least split-leaning (R+3), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Butler 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 Butler, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Butler votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 94%, far above the New Jersey average of 61%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Butler runs against the grain of New Jersey, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Butler, NJ sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Butler looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Butler 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Butler have completed high school, above 82% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Bloomingdale, NJ R+14
- Riverdale, NJ R+8
- Kinnelon, NJ R+18
- Pompton Lakes, NJ R+18
- Pompton Plains, NJ R+16
- Wanaque, NJ R+13
- Echo Lake, NJ R+29
- Pequannock, NJ R+21
- Towaco, NJ R+16
- Green Pond, NJ R+22
Cities with Similar Populations
- Fishersville, VA R+27
- Bryans Road, MD D+58
- Titusville, PA R+36
- Evergreen, MT R+45
- Caldwell, OH R+48
- Strafford, MO R+56
- Doylestown, OH R+39
- Demorest, GA R+60
- Tazewell, TN R+73
- Old Town, ME D+6
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New Jersey Division of 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.