Erie leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Erie typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Erie, ~41% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Erie compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Erie is the most Democratic-leaning.
Erie runs about 16 points more Democratic than Pennsylvania as a whole. Pennsylvania is roughly evenly split, and Erie sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Erie. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+41) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+13), a spread of about 55 points.
Why Erie leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Erie, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 87% of residents in Erie live in densely developed areas, about 51 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 40% of adults in Erie have never been married, above 93% of cities. Erie runs against the grain of Pennsylvania, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Erie, PA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Erie looks the way it does
Turnout in Erie 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 Cities
- Kearsarge, PA Even
- Wesleyville, PA R+6
- Northwest Harborcreek, PA R+5
- Five Points, PA R+18
- Hammett, PA R+36
- McKean, PA R+30
- Harborcreek, PA R+19
- Fairview, PA R+11
- Sterrettania, PA R+23
- Phillipsville, PA R+42
Cities with Similar Populations
- Pembroke Pines, FL D+14
- Naperville, IL D+21
- Van Nuys, CA D+32
- Conroe, TX R+29
- Humble, TX Even
- Canton, OH R+4
- Wilmington, NC D+8
- Topeka, KS D+8
- Lancaster, PA D+14
- Macon, GA D+30
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau 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.