Heights leans Democratic by roughly 18 points: about 59% of voters vote Democratic and 41% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Heights typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Heights, ~45% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Heights compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Heights is the least Democratic-leaning.
Heights runs about 49 points more Democratic than Arkansas as a whole. Arkansas leans Republican overall, while Heights is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Heights. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+32) and the east side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+11), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Heights 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 Heights, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 74% of adults in Heights hold a bachelor's degree, about 46 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Heights runs against the grain of Arkansas, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with low food insecurity tend to turn out at a higher rate; Heights, Little Rock, AR sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Heights looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Heights 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 74%, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Heights have completed high school, above 87% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Hillcrest, Little Rock, AR D+43
- Midtown, Little Rock, AR D+32
- Briarwood, Little Rock, AR D+49
- Stephens, Little Rock, AR D+71
- Oak Forest, Little Rock, AR D+81
- Reservoir, Little Rock, AR D+34
- Boyle Park, Little Rock, AR D+58
- Downtown Little Rock, Little Rock, AR D+70
- John Barrow, Little Rock, AR D+65
- Walnut Valley, Little Rock, AR D+44
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Arkansas 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.