Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Downtown Memphis

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

Downtown Memphis is a Democratic stronghold. About 84% of voters here vote Democratic and 16% Republican.

 

About 48% of adults in Downtown Memphis typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Downtown Memphis, ~40% vote Democratic, ~8% Republican, and ~52% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Downtown Memphis compares

Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Downtown Memphis leans more Democratic than 2 of 3 neighbors.

Downtown Memphis runs about 99 points more Democratic than Tennessee as a whole. Tennessee leans Republican overall, while Downtown Memphis is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by block within Downtown Memphis. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+88) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+25), a spread of about 63 points.

Why Downtown Memphis 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 Memphis, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Downtown Memphis votes against the grain of Tennessee. Tennessee leans Republican overall, while Downtown Memphis runs about 99 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 56% of adults in Downtown Memphis have never been married, above 89% of neighborhoods.

Walkability and Democratic lean

Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.

Why turnout in Downtown Memphis looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Downtown Memphis is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 45%, about 11 points below the Tennessee average of 56%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 71% of households in Downtown Memphis rent, compared to around 55% in nearby neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Downtown Memphis sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. 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 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.