Detroit leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% Republican.
About 80% of adults in the Detroit area typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in the Detroit area, ~45% vote Democratic, ~35% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Detroit compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Detroit leans more Democratic than 50 of 87 neighbors.
Detroit runs about 14 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Detroit sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Detroit. The southeast side runs the most Democratic (D+61) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+24), a spread of about 85 points.
Why Detroit 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 Detroit, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 86% of residents in the Detroit area live in densely developed areas, about 49 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Detroit sits in the top quarter (about 34%, above 81% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in the Detroit area have never been married, above 89% of cities.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Detroit, MI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Detroit looks the way it does
Turnout in the Detroit area 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
- Highland Park, MI D+85
- Hamtramck, MI D+11
- Ferndale, MI D+53
- Hazel Park, MI D+18
- Pleasant Ridge, MI D+49
- Oak Park, MI D+59
- Dearborn, MI R+9
- Huntington Woods, MI D+47
- Center Line, MI D+16
- Melvindale, MI Even
Cities with Similar Populations
- Riverside, CA Even
- San Francisco, CA D+48
- Seattle, WA D+30
- Phoenix, AZ Even
- Boston, MA D+30
- Minneapolis, MN D+19
- San Diego, CA D+17
- Tampa, FL R+6
- Portland, OR D+25
- Denver, CO D+23
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.