First Hill, Seattle, WA Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in First Hill

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

First Hill is a Democratic stronghold. About 84% of voters here vote Democratic and 16% Republican.

 

About 51% of adults in First Hill typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in First Hill, ~43% vote Democratic, ~8% Republican, and ~49% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How First Hill compares

Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, First Hill leans more Democratic than 15 of 38 neighbors.

First Hill runs about 51 points more Democratic than Washington as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by block within First Hill. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+73) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+58), a spread of about 15 points.

Why First Hill 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 First Hill, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in First Hill live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and First Hill sits in the top quarter (about 67%, above 88% of neighborhoods). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 66% of adults in First Hill have never been married, above 96% of neighborhoods.

Population density and Democratic lean

Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; First Hill, Seattle, WA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.

Why turnout in First Hill looks the way it does

Renters vote less often than owners. About 90% of households in First Hill rent, about 65 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and First Hill 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 Washington Secretary 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.