Dayton leans slightly Democratic by roughly 8 points: about 54% of voters vote Democratic and 46% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Dayton typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Dayton, ~34% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Dayton compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Dayton leans more Democratic than 18 of 46 neighbors.
Dayton runs about 39 points more Democratic than Alabama as a whole. Alabama leans Republican overall, while Dayton is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Dayton. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+16) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+4), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Dayton 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 Dayton, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural, majority-Black areas of the Southern Black Belt vote Democratic, against the usual rural pattern. About 68% of residents in Dayton are Black or African American, about 45 points above the Alabama average of 24%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 49% of adults in Dayton have never been married, above 98% of cities. Dayton runs against the grain of Alabama, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Dayton, AL sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Dayton looks the way it does
Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and Dayton sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Siddonsville, AL D+4
- Thomaston, AL D+21
- Providence, AL R+19
- Faunsdale, AL D+9
- Linden, AL R+7
- Old Spring Hill, AL R+36
- McKinley, AL D+31
- Consul, AL D+26
- Uniontown, AL D+70
- Octagon, AL D+17
Cities with Similar Populations
- Ross, IA R+57
- Stacy, AR R+54
- Chief Lake, WI D+44
- Clearwater Park, VA R+65
- Clarington, PA R+56
- Nickleville, PA R+57
- Nixville, SC R+58
- Lamont, WI R+30
- Floweree, MT R+55
- Westerville, NE R+74
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Alabama 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.