Ferndale is a Democratic stronghold. About 77% of voters here vote Democratic and 23% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Ferndale typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ferndale, ~62% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ferndale compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Ferndale leans more Democratic than 83 of 89 neighbors.
Ferndale runs about 55 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Ferndale sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Ferndale. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+75) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+34), a spread of about 41 points.
Why Ferndale 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 Ferndale, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Ferndale live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Ferndale sits in the top quarter (about 53%, above 95% of cities). Ferndale runs against the grain of Michigan, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Ferndale, MI 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 Ferndale looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Ferndale 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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Ferndale have completed high school, above 86% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Pleasant Ridge, MI D+49
- Hazel Park, MI D+18
- Huntington Woods, MI D+47
- Oak Park, MI D+59
- Highland Park, MI D+85
- Royal Oak, MI D+32
- Madison Heights, MI D+9
- Berkley, MI D+31
- Detroit, MI D+13
- Lathrup Village, MI D+74
Cities with Similar Populations
- Petal, MS R+60
- Jollyville, TX D+27
- Crest Hill, IL D+15
- Campbellsville, KY R+46
- McNair, VA D+46
- Chalmette, LA R+10
- Durant, OK R+39
- Gardner, MA D+3
- Livingston, TX R+53
- South Holland, IL D+77
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.