Central Business District is a Democratic stronghold. About 77% of voters here vote Democratic and 23% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Central Business District typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Central Business District, ~49% vote Democratic, ~15% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Central Business District compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Central Business District leans more Democratic than 17 of 35 neighbors.
Central Business District runs about 57 points more Democratic than Pennsylvania as a whole. Pennsylvania is roughly evenly split, and Central Business District sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Why Central Business District 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 Central Business District, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Central Business District votes against the grain of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is roughly evenly split, while Central Business District runs about 57 points more Democratic. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Central Business District sits in the top quarter (about 56%, above 76% of neighborhoods). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 77% of adults in Central Business District have never been married, in the top fraction of neighborhoods.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Central Business District, Pittsburgh, PA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Central Business District looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. More than 99% of adults in Central Business District have completed high school, about 8 points above the Pennsylvania average of 91%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Bluff, Pittsburgh, PA D+48
- Southside Flats, Pittsburgh, PA D+55
- West Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA D+69
- Mount Washington, Pittsburgh, PA D+40
- Central Northside, Pittsburgh, PA D+74
- Southside Slopes, Pittsburgh, PA D+42
- Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA D+58
- Knoxville, Pittsburgh, PA D+59
- North Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA D+65
- Perry South, Pittsburgh, PA D+77
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Kerns, Portland, OR D+80
- Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg, VA D+46
- Uptown, Racine, WI D+59
- Downtown Oakdale, Oakdale, CA R+17
- Hawthorne, Minneapolis, MN D+62
- Laredo Highline, Aurora, CO D+28
- Newport, Bellevue, WA D+43
- Center Pointe, Aurora, CO D+34
- La Mesa, Albuquerque, NM D+33
- Roosevelt, Iowa City, IA D+55
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau 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.