Garfield leans slightly Republican by roughly 8 points: about 46% of voters vote Democratic and 54% Republican.
About 47% of adults in Garfield typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Garfield, ~22% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~53% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Garfield compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Garfield leans more Republican than 223 of 307 neighbors.
Garfield runs about 13 points more Republican than New Jersey as a whole. New Jersey leans Democratic overall, while Garfield is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Garfield. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+8) and the north side runs the most Republican (R+20), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Garfield 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, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Garfield votes Republican even though it is densely developed (more than 99%, far above the New Jersey average of 61%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 76% of households in Garfield are family households, above 80% of cities. Garfield runs against the grain of New Jersey, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Never-married share, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine a never-married-heavy adult population and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Garfield, NJ does.
Why turnout in Garfield looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Garfield is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 55% of households in Garfield rent, about 30 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 20% of adults in Garfield report food insecurity, above 81% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lodi, NJ Even
- Passaic, NJ D+5
- Wallington, NJ R+23
- Saddle Brook, NJ R+16
- Elmwood Park, NJ R+7
- Hasbrouck Heights, NJ R+7
- Wood-Ridge, NJ R+6
- Clifton, NJ Even
- Rochelle Park, NJ R+8
- Carlstadt, NJ R+20
Cities with Similar Populations
- Indiana, PA R+6
- Rockford, MI R+16
- Lady Lake, FL R+28
- Sand Springs, OK R+33
- Foothill Farms, CA D+2
- East Wenatchee, WA R+24
- Southlake, TX R+29
- Helena, MT D+17
- Grandville, MI R+5
- Graham, WA R+21
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New Jersey Division of 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.