Harlem, Manhattan, NY Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Harlem

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Harlem is a Democratic stronghold. About 89% of voters here vote Democratic and 11% Republican.

 

About 49% of adults in Harlem typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Harlem, ~44% vote Democratic, ~5% Republican, and ~51% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Harlem compares

Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Harlem is the most Democratic-leaning.

Harlem runs about 65 points more Democratic than New York as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by block within Harlem. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+84) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+65), a spread of about 19 points.

Why Harlem 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 Harlem, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Harlem live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 57% of adults in Harlem have never been married, above 90% of neighborhoods.

Paved land cover and Democratic lean

Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Harlem, Manhattan, NY sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.

Why turnout in Harlem looks the way it does

Renters vote less often than owners. About 84% of households in Harlem rent, about 59 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 30% of adults in Harlem report food insecurity, above 82% of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Harlem sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New York State Board 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.