Bywater is a Democratic stronghold. About 81% of voters here vote Democratic and 19% Republican.
About 59% of adults in Bywater typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bywater, ~48% vote Democratic, ~11% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bywater compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Bywater leans more Democratic than 12 of 33 neighbors.
Bywater runs about 85 points more Democratic than Louisiana as a whole. Louisiana leans Republican overall, while Bywater is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Bywater. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+73) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+57), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Bywater leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Bywater, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Bywater votes against the grain of Louisiana. Louisiana leans Republican overall, while Bywater runs about 85 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 50% of adults in Bywater have never been married, above 82% of neighborhoods.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Bywater, New Orleans, LA sits in the top quarter 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 Bywater looks the way it does
High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, mostly because the housing stress common in those areas makes voting harder. Bywater sits in the top 15% nationally on a violent-crime measure. See CrimeGrade for more details. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Saint Claude, New Orleans, LA D+71
- Saint Roch, New Orleans, LA D+79
- Holy Cross, New Orleans, LA D+77
- French Quarter, New Orleans, LA D+46
- Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans, LA D+80
- Seventh Ward, New Orleans, LA D+78
- Treme' Lafitte, New Orleans, LA D+76
- Behrman, New Orleans, LA D+79
- Central Business District, New Orleans, LA D+50
- Fairgrounds, New Orleans, LA D+68
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Clarksville, Austin, TX D+58
- West Mt. Scott, Happy Valley, OR D+23
- Riverside Heights, Tampa, FL D+21
- Germantown, Nashville, TN D+36
- Apple Creek, San Antonio, TX D+26
- Altamont, Mountain House, CA D+12
- Duveneck-Saint Francis, Palo Alto, CA D+44
- University, Waco, TX D+15
- Mount Vernon, San Bernardino, CA D+37
- Echo Highlands, Birmingham, AL D+77
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Louisiana 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.