Columbia Falls leans heavily Republican by roughly 38 points: about 31% of voters vote Democratic and 69% Republican.
About 86% of adults in Columbia Falls typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Columbia Falls, ~27% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~14% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Columbia Falls compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Columbia Falls leans more Republican than 8 of 16 neighbors.
Columbia Falls runs about 18 points more Republican than Montana as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Columbia Falls. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+51) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+31), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Columbia Falls leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Columbia Falls, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Columbia Falls votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 39%, well above the Montana average of 13%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Columbia Falls, MT sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Columbia Falls looks the way it does
Turnout in Columbia Falls sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Halfmoon, MT R+21
- La Salle, MT R+34
- Hungry Horse, MT R+42
- Whitefish, MT R+6
- Martin City, MT R+39
- Coram, MT R+40
- Evergreen, MT R+45
- Northridge Heights, MT R+41
- Kalispell, MT R+33
- West Glacier, MT R+36
Cities with Similar Populations
- Huntingdon, PA R+23
- Fort Hunt, VA D+38
- New Albany, MS R+49
- Troy, IL R+25
- Fort Morgan, CO R+23
- Westminster, SC R+71
- Norris, TN R+57
- Gloucester, VA R+38
- Pinson, AL R+14
- Lynnfield, MA D+5
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Montana 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.