Downtown Grand Forks leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Downtown Grand Forks typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Downtown Grand Forks, ~31% vote Democratic, ~24% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Downtown Grand Forks compares
Downtown Grand Forks runs about 49 points more Democratic than North Dakota as a whole. North Dakota leans Republican overall, while Downtown Grand Forks is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Downtown Grand Forks. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+20) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+2), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Downtown Grand Forks 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 Downtown Grand Forks, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Downtown Grand Forks votes against the grain of North Dakota. North Dakota leans Republican overall, while Downtown Grand Forks runs about 49 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 53% of adults in Downtown Grand Forks have never been married, above 86% of neighborhoods.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Downtown Grand Forks, Grand Forks, ND sits above the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Downtown Grand Forks looks the way it does
Turnout in Downtown Grand Forks 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
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Downtown East, Minneapolis, MN D+65
- Westland Terrace, Pine Hills, FL D+70
- Westbury, Lehi, UT R+25
- Summit Heights, Fontana, CA D+8
- Coquina Key, St. Petersburg, FL D+35
- Belmont, Downers Grove, IL D+19
- Downtown Conneaut, Conneaut, OH R+19
- 45th and Moncrief, Jacksonville, FL D+78
- South Roanoke, Roanoke, VA D+16
- Lakeview North, Provo, UT R+24
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Dakota 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.