District of Columbia, DC Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in District of Columbia

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

District of Columbia is a Democratic stronghold. About 90% of voters here vote Democratic and 10% Republican.

 

About 67% of adults in the District of Columbia typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in the District of Columbia, ~60% vote Democratic, ~7% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How District of Columbia compares

Among counties within 50 miles, District of Columbia is the most Democratic-leaning.

Politically, District of Columbia sits close to the rest of the District of Columbia.

Politics vary noticeably by city within District of Columbia. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+88) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+63), a spread of about 25 points.

Why District of Columbia leans the way it does

This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for District of Columbia, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 63% of adults in the District of Columbia hold a bachelor's degree, about 34 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and District of Columbia sits in the top fifth on density (about 96%, in the top fraction of counties). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 55% of adults in the District of Columbia have never been married, in the top fraction of counties.

Population density and Democratic lean

Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; District of Columbia, DC sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.

Why turnout in District of Columbia looks the way it does

Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. District of Columbia is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from District of Columbia Board 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.