Ford River leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Ford River typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ford River, ~27% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ford River compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Ford River leans more Republican than 12 of 32 neighbors.
Ford River runs about 31 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
Why Ford River 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 Ford River, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Ford River live in densely developed areas, about 27 points below the Michigan average of 31%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Ford River, MI sits in the bottom quarter 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 Ford River looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Ford River 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%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Ford River have completed high school, above 89% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Escanaba, MI R+11
- Wells, MI R+23
- Bark River, MI R+36
- Island View, MI R+35
- Tesch, MI R+37
- Riverland, MI R+37
- Groos, MI R+34
- Schaffer, MI R+39
- Harris, MI R+25
- Stonington, MI R+31
Cities with Similar Populations
- Marty, SD R+4
- Cranfills Gap, TX R+72
- Carbonado, WA R+37
- Reilly Springs, TX R+75
- Estherwood, LA R+79
- Andes, NY D+2
- Barryville, NY R+4
- Buckman, MN R+67
- Yountsville, IN R+58
- Brewer, MO R+69
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.