Donelson is a true toss-up. About 52% of voters here vote Democratic and 48% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Donelson typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Donelson, ~34% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Donelson compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Donelson is the least Democratic-leaning.
Donelson runs about 34 points more Democratic than Tennessee as a whole. Tennessee leans Republican overall, while Donelson is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Donelson. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+16) and the west side runs the most Republican (R+15), a spread of about 31 points.
Why Donelson leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Donelson, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Donelson votes against the grain of Tennessee. Tennessee leans Republican overall, while Donelson runs about 34 points more Democratic.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Donelson, Nashville, TN sits below the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Donelson looks the way it does
Turnout in Donelson 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 Neighborhoods
- Merry Oaks, Nashville, TN D+5
- Rosebank, Nashville, TN D+20
- Inglewood-Riverwood, Nashville, TN D+24
- CCSI-South Inglewood, Nashville, TN D+57
- Lockeland Springs, Nashville, TN D+54
- Heron Walk, Madison, TN D+34
- Historic Edgefield, Nashville, TN D+60
- Capitol View, Nashville, TN D+65
- McFerrin Park, Nashville, TN D+71
- Woodbine, Nashville, TN D+26
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Downtown Columbus, Columbus, OH D+55
- Downtown Hampton, Hampton, VA D+67
- Desert Hills, Las Vegas, NV R+5
- Kenfield, Buffalo, NY D+79
- Holly, Everett, WA D+17
- Jewell Heights-Hoffman Heights, Aurora, CO D+37
- Northeast Durham, Durham, NC D+51
- Adams Point, Oakland, CA D+82
- Beaverdale, Des Moines, IA D+39
- Sunbow, Chula Vista, CA D+18
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.