Gilpin County leans Democratic by roughly 16 points: about 58% of voters vote Democratic and 42% Republican.
About 95% of adults in Gilpin County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Gilpin County, ~55% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~5% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Gilpin County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Gilpin County leans more Democratic than 5 of 13 neighbors.
Gilpin County runs about 5 points more Democratic than Colorado as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Gilpin County. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+20) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+10), a spread of about 10 points.
Why Gilpin County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Gilpin County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 49% of adults in Gilpin County hold a bachelor's degree, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Park access and Democratic lean
Places with heavy park coverage tend to lean Democratic; Gilpin County, CO sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Gilpin County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Gilpin County 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 85% of households in Gilpin County own their home, above 96% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Clear Creek County, CO D+21
- Jefferson County, CO D+18
- Boulder County, CO D+52
- Broomfield County, CO D+25
- Grand County, CO R+6
- Denver County, CO D+53
- Adams County, CO D+11
- Summit County, CO D+23
- Arapahoe County, CO D+22
- Park County, CO R+9
Counties with Similar Populations
- Carson County, TX R+75
- Ontonagon County, MI R+26
- Garza County, TX R+30
- Mitchell County, KS R+58
- Sullivan County, PA R+50
- Stanton County, NE R+64
- Emporia City, VA D+43
- Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, AK R+18
- Covington City, VA R+29
- Ottawa County, KS R+63
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Colorado 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.