Central is a Democratic stronghold. About 89% of voters here vote Democratic and 11% Republican.
About 42% of adults in Central typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Central, ~37% vote Democratic, ~5% Republican, and ~58% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Central compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Central leans more Democratic than 13 of 23 neighbors.
Central runs about 90 points more Democratic than Ohio as a whole. Ohio leans Republican overall, while Central is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Central. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+88) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+65), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Central 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, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Central 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 68% of adults in Central have never been married, above 97% of neighborhoods. Central runs against the grain of Ohio, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Central, Cleveland, OH sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Central looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Central 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 34%, about 27 points below the Ohio average of 61%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 88% of households in Central rent, compared to around 70% in nearby neighborhoods. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 57% of adults in Central report food insecurity, in the top fraction of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Goodrich-Kirtland Park, Cleveland, OH D+45
- Fairfax, Cleveland, OH D+87
- Downtown Cleveland, Cleveland, OH D+58
- Kinsmith, Cleveland, OH D+82
- North Broadway, Cleveland, OH D+55
- Hough, Cleveland, OH D+85
- Tremont, Cleveland, OH D+55
- Saint Claire-Superior, Cleveland, OH D+76
- Woodland Hills, Cleveland, OH D+86
- Ohio City-West Side, Cleveland, OH D+59
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Downtown Austin, Austin, TX D+42
- Palolo, Honolulu, HI D+25
- Riverwest, Milwaukee, WI D+70
- Estates Of Highland Creek, Katy, TX D+18
- Rancho Rinconada, Cupertino, CA D+33
- The Acre, Lowell, MA D+42
- Eastside Santa Ana, Santa Ana, CA D+33
- Pawtucketville, Lowell, MA D+15
- Seacliff, San Francisco, CA D+59
- Villages of Westcreek, San Antonio, TX D+7
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.