Flint leans heavily Democratic by roughly 40 points: about 70% of voters vote Democratic and 30% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Flint typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Flint, ~49% vote Democratic, ~21% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Flint compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Flint leans more Democratic than 65 of 66 neighbors.
Flint runs about 42 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Flint sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Flint. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+90) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+7), a spread of about 83 points.
Why Flint 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 Flint, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 89% of residents in Flint live in densely developed areas, about 53 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 46% of adults in Flint have never been married, above 97% of cities. Flint runs against the grain of Michigan, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Flint, MI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Flint looks the way it does
Turnout in Flint 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
- Burton, MI R+4
- Beecher, MI D+64
- Mount Morris, MI D+12
- Flushing, MI R+5
- Grand Blanc, MI D+4
- Genesee, MI R+20
- Swartz Creek, MI R+15
- Russellville, MI R+24
- Rankin, MI R+18
- Davison, MI R+14
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lakewood, CO D+22
- Billings, MT R+20
- College Station, TX D+9
- Sugar Land, TX Even
- Fairfax, VA D+35
- York, PA D+4
- Coral Springs, FL D+15
- Lakewood, NJ R+74
- Odessa, TX R+41
- Murrieta, CA R+14
All Local Stats
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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.