Golden leans Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Golden typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Golden, ~53% vote Democratic, ~28% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Golden compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Golden leans more Democratic than 67 of 83 neighbors.
Golden runs about 18 points more Democratic than Colorado as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Golden. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+37) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+10), a spread of about 27 points.
Why Golden 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 Golden, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 62% of adults in Golden hold a bachelor's degree, about 34 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Golden sits in the top fifth on density (about 69%, above 92% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 37% of adults in Golden have never been married, above 90% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Golden, CO sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Golden looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Golden 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 Golden have completed high school, above 92% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- West Pleasant View, CO D+19
- Applewood, CO D+24
- Fairmount, CO D+9
- Idledale, CO D+12
- Mount Vernon Club Place, CO D+25
- Wheat Ridge, CO D+30
- Lakewood, CO D+22
- Edgewater, CO D+39
- Arvada, CO D+15
- Kittredge, CO D+21
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bear, DE D+32
- North Atlanta, GA D+38
- Chatsworth, CA D+16
- West Bend, WI R+23
- San Bruno, CA D+43
- Parkville, MD D+39
- Buda, TX Even
- Sun Prairie, WI D+37
- Leominster, MA D+9
- Clovis, NM R+31
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.