Downtown leans heavily Democratic by roughly 48 points: about 74% of voters vote Democratic and 26% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Downtown typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Downtown, ~41% vote Democratic, ~14% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Downtown compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Downtown leans more Democratic than 9 of 19 neighbors.
Downtown runs about 70 points more Democratic than Utah as a whole. Utah leans Republican overall, while Downtown is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Downtown. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+51) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+40), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Downtown 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, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Downtown live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 57% of adults in Downtown have never been married, above 91% of neighborhoods. Downtown runs against the grain of Utah, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Downtown, Salt Lake City, UT sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Downtown looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 71% of households in Downtown rent, about 46 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Downtown sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Capitol Hill, Salt Lake City, UT D+52
- Central City, Salt Lake City, UT D+60
- Fairpark, Salt Lake City, UT D+40
- Central City Liberty Wells, Salt Lake City, UT D+66
- Poplar Grove, Salt Lake City, UT D+34
- People's Freeway, Salt Lake City, UT D+47
- The Avenues, Salt Lake City, UT D+64
- 9th and 9th, Salt Lake City, UT D+70
- East Central, Salt Lake City, UT D+68
- Glendale, Salt Lake City, UT D+24
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans, LA D+80
- Mallard Creek-Withrow Downs, Charlotte, NC D+60
- East End, Charleston, WV D+44
- Cypress-Riverside, Highland, CA D+13
- Downtown Duluth, Duluth, MN D+45
- Pear Orchard, Beaumont, TX D+83
- Town Center, Oxnard, CA D+33
- Northport, Fargo, ND Even
- Pacheco, Redding, CA R+39
- Far West Eugene, Eugene, OR D+46
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, 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.