Happy Valley is a Democratic stronghold. About 84% of voters here vote Democratic and 16% Republican.
About 61% of adults in Happy Valley typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Happy Valley, ~51% vote Democratic, ~10% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Happy Valley compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Happy Valley leans more Democratic than 6 of 11 neighbors.
Happy Valley runs about 50 points more Democratic than Washington as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Happy Valley. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+75) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+62), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Happy Valley leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Happy Valley, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 63% of adults in Happy Valley have never been married, well above similar-sized neighborhoods (around 39%). High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Happy Valley sits in the top quarter (about 55%, above 76% of neighborhoods).
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with renter-heavy households tend to turn out at a lower rate; Happy Valley, Bellingham, WA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Happy Valley looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 73% of households in Happy Valley rent, about 48 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Happy Valley sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA D+73
- South Hill, Bellingham, WA D+67
- Samish Hill, Bellingham, WA D+56
- Sehome, Bellingham, WA D+74
- Puget, Bellingham, WA D+48
- York, Bellingham, WA D+69
- Lettered Streets, Bellingham, WA D+73
- Columbia, Bellingham, WA D+72
- Birchwood, Bellingham, WA D+46
- Mount Baker, Bellingham, WA D+46
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Oak Park, Overland Park, KS D+19
- Modello, Leisure City, FL Even
- Eastway-Sheffield Park, Charlotte, NC D+40
- Outer Comstock, Syracuse, NY D+64
- Southwest, San Antonio, TX D+21
- North Albany, Albany, OR D+15
- Piqua Historic District, Piqua, OH R+38
- Villa Park, Trenton, NJ D+39
- Hillcrest, Brooklyn Park, MD D+11
- Marieville, Providence, RI D+12
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Washington 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.