Columbia leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Columbia typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Columbia, ~22% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Columbia compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Columbia leans more Republican than 1 of 71 neighbors.
Politically, Columbia sits close to the rest of Tennessee.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Columbia. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+53) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+18), a spread of about 35 points.
Why Columbia 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, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Columbia votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 49%, well above the Tennessee average of 21%). 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, TN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Columbia looks the way it does
Turnout in Columbia 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
- Match, TN R+58
- Carters Creek, TN R+50
- Neapolis, TN R+39
- Red Row, TN R+51
- Fountain Heights, TN R+64
- Culleoka, TN R+62
- Leftwich, TN R+64
- Williamsport, TN R+64
Cities with Similar Populations
- New Brunswick, NJ D+40
- Falls Church, VA D+42
- Bonita Springs, FL R+24
- Pinellas Park, FL R+12
- New Baltimore, MI R+25
- St. Clair Shores, MI R+10
- Massillon, OH R+20
- Conway, SC R+31
- Kaneohe, HI D+21
- Newark, OH R+27
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of 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.