Central is a Democratic stronghold. About 83% of voters here vote Democratic and 17% Republican.
About 61% of adults in Central typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Central, ~50% vote Democratic, ~10% Republican, and ~40% 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 23 of 56 neighbors.
Central runs about 62 points more Democratic than Minnesota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Central. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+78) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+58), a spread of about 20 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 53% of adults in Central have never been married, above 86% of neighborhoods.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Central, Minneapolis, MN 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. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 9% of homes in Central have more than one occupant per room, above 89% of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Central sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, MN D+73
- Lyndale, Minneapolis, MN D+71
- Phillips West, Minneapolis, MN D+54
- Midtown Phillips, Minneapolis, MN D+67
- Bancroft, Minneapolis, MN D+77
- Kingfield, Minneapolis, MN D+82
- Whittier, Minneapolis, MN D+72
- Calhoun, Minneapolis, MN D+74
- East Phillips, Minneapolis, MN D+63
- Corcoran, Minneapolis, MN D+78
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Haller Lake, Seattle, WA D+60
- Otter Creek Crystal, Little Rock, AR D+52
- Holiday Hill, Jacksonville, FL D+18
- Downtown Riverside, Riverside, CA D+20
- Downtown Glendale, Glendale, AZ D+16
- Forest Hills, Tampa, FL R+8
- Lakewood, Sunnyvale, CA D+30
- Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis, MN D+66
- Florida Center, Orlando, FL D+21
- DMV, San Bernardino, CA D+27
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Minnesota 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.