Fairfax City leans Democratic by roughly 26 points: about 63% of voters vote Democratic and 37% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Fairfax City typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Fairfax City, ~48% vote Democratic, ~28% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Fairfax City compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Fairfax City leans more Democratic than 17 of 28 neighbors.
Fairfax City runs about 19 points more Democratic than Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Fairfax City. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+34) and the east side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+19), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Fairfax City leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Fairfax City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 97% of residents in Fairfax City live in densely developed areas, about 61 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Fairfax City sits in the top quarter (about 63%, in the top fraction of counties). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 35% of adults in Fairfax City have never been married, above 83% of counties.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Fairfax City, VA sits in the top tenth 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 Fairfax City looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Fairfax City is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Fairfax County, VA D+37
- Falls Church City, VA D+45
- Manassas Park City, VA D+19
- Arlington County, VA D+57
- Manassas City, VA D+14
- Alexandria City, VA D+55
- Prince William County, VA D+21
- District of Columbia, DC D+80
- Loudoun County, VA D+18
- Montgomery County, MD D+52
Counties with Similar Populations
- Dawson County, NE R+35
- Bell County, KY R+62
- Jerome County, ID R+48
- Shelby County, TX R+54
- Blaine County, ID D+21
- Lincoln County, KY R+64
- Abbeville County, SC R+39
- Hood River County, OR D+24
- George County, MS R+78
- Scott County, IN R+53
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department 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.