Dayton leans heavily Republican by roughly 50 points: about 25% of voters vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Dayton typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Dayton, ~18% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Dayton compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Dayton leans more Republican than 3 of 10 neighbors.
Dayton runs about 68 points more Republican than Washington as a whole. Washington leans Democratic overall, while Dayton is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Dayton. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+61) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+46), a spread of about 15 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.
Dayton votes against the grain of Washington. Washington leans Democratic overall, while Dayton runs about 68 points more Republican.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Dayton, WA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Dayton looks the way it does
Turnout in Dayton 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
- Huntsville, WA R+53
- Waitsburg, WA R+51
- Starbuck, WA R+70
- Dixie, WA R+50
- Pomeroy, WA R+57
- Pataha, WA R+63
- Prescott, WA R+57
- Tollgate, OR R+48
- Walla Walla East, WA R+23
- Walla Walla, WA D+2
Cities with Similar Populations
- Sibley, IA R+49
- Chester, VT D+4
- Elloree, SC D+10
- Glen Dale, WV R+42
- Christmas, FL R+44
- Peninsula, OH Even
- DeLevan, NY R+41
- Celina, TN R+59
- Nederland, CO D+54
- Elroy, TX D+7
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.