Garfield Heights is a Democratic stronghold. About 76% of voters here vote Democratic and 24% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Garfield Heights typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Garfield Heights, ~46% vote Democratic, ~14% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Garfield Heights compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Garfield Heights leans more Democratic than 113 of 125 neighbors.
Garfield Heights runs about 63 points more Democratic than Ohio as a whole. Ohio leans Republican overall, while Garfield Heights is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Garfield Heights. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+88) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+34), a spread of about 55 points.
Why Garfield Heights 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 Garfield Heights, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 98% of residents in Garfield Heights live in densely developed areas, about 62 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 46% of adults in Garfield Heights have never been married, above 97% of cities. Garfield Heights runs against the grain of Ohio, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Garfield Heights, OH 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 Garfield Heights looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 39% of households in Garfield Heights rent, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 27% of adults in Garfield Heights report food insecurity, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Cuyahoga Heights, OH R+22
- Maple Heights, OH D+73
- Valley View, OH R+23
- Newburgh Heights, OH D+16
- Brooklyn Heights, OH R+11
- North Randall, OH D+85
- Independence, OH R+17
- Bedford, OH D+51
- Shaker Heights, OH D+72
- Highland Hills, OH D+85
Cities with Similar Populations
- Ferry Pass, FL R+15
- Oakleaf Plantation, FL D+7
- Suisun City, CA D+27
- Ridgecrest, CA R+25
- Jasper, AL R+67
- Summerfield, FL R+39
- Newtown, PA D+7
- Ponchatoula, LA R+51
- Shaker Heights, OH D+72
- Coventry, RI R+4
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.