Columbia is a Democratic stronghold. About 86% of voters here vote Democratic and 14% Republican.
About 95% of adults in Columbia typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Columbia, ~82% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~5% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Columbia compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Columbia leans more Democratic than 9 of 12 neighbors.
Columbia runs about 54 points more Democratic than Washington as a whole.
Why Columbia 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 Columbia, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 55% of adults in Columbia hold a bachelor's degree, about 27 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Columbia, Bellingham, WA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Columbia looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Columbia is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Lettered Streets, Bellingham, WA D+73
- Birchwood, Bellingham, WA D+46
- York, Bellingham, WA D+69
- Sehome, Bellingham, WA D+74
- Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA D+73
- Puget, Bellingham, WA D+48
- Guide Meridian, Bellingham, WA D+41
- South Hill, Bellingham, WA D+67
- Mount Baker, Bellingham, WA D+46
- Happy Valley, Bellingham, WA D+69
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Waterfront, Boston, MA D+45
- Sussex Place, Alafaya, FL D+26
- Friends of Friedrich Wilderness Park, San Antonio, TX Even
- Tallulah-North Shore, Jacksonville, FL D+50
- Sears Park Area, Abilene, TX R+7
- Alta Loma, Peoria, AZ R+3
- Wallhaven, Akron, OH D+46
- Jeff-Vander-Lou, St. Louis, MO D+84
- Biscayne, Jacksonville, FL D+59
- Wilson, Oxnard, CA D+39
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Washington 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.