Central City is a Democratic stronghold. About 80% of voters here vote Democratic and 20% Republican.
About 47% of adults in Central City typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Central City, ~38% vote Democratic, ~9% Republican, and ~53% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Central City compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Central City leans more Democratic than 12 of 19 neighbors.
Central City runs about 82 points more Democratic than Utah as a whole. Utah leans Republican overall, while Central City is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Central City. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+65) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+54), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Central City 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 City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Central City live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 59% of adults in Central City have never been married, above 92% of neighborhoods. Central City runs against the grain of Utah, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Central City, Salt Lake City, UT 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 City looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 81% of households in Central City rent, about 56 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Central City sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Central City Liberty Wells, Salt Lake City, UT D+66
- 9th and 9th, Salt Lake City, UT D+70
- East Central, Salt Lake City, UT D+68
- Downtown, Salt Lake City, UT D+48
- The Avenues, Salt Lake City, UT D+64
- Capitol Hill, Salt Lake City, UT D+52
- People's Freeway, Salt Lake City, UT D+47
- Liberty Wells, Salt Lake City, UT D+64
- Yalecrest, Salt Lake City, UT D+61
- Fairpark, Salt Lake City, UT D+40
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Cow Hollow, San Francisco, CA D+64
- Oakley, Cincinnati, OH D+44
- Ashburn Farm, Ashburn, VA D+23
- Alamo Farmsteads-Babcock Road, San Antonio, TX D+13
- Englewood Park, Orlando, FL D+17
- Twin Lakes, Las Vegas, NV D+23
- Muskego Way, Milwaukee, WI D+40
- Applewood, Lakewood, CO D+26
- Terrace, San Bernardino, CA D+23
- Olympic Hills, Seattle, WA D+58
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, 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.