Helena leans Democratic by roughly 18 points: about 59% of voters vote Democratic and 41% Republican.
About 84% of adults in Helena typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Helena, ~50% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Helena compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Helena is the most Democratic-leaning.
Helena runs about 37 points more Democratic than Montana as a whole. Montana leans Republican overall, while Helena is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Helena. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+41) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+38), a spread of about 79 points.
Why Helena 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 Helena, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 73% of residents in Helena live in densely developed areas, about 37 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Helena sits in the top quarter (about 49%, above 93% of cities). Helena runs against the grain of Montana, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Helena, MT sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Helena looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Helena 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Helena West Side, MT D+14
- Helena Valley West Central, MT R+16
- Fort Harrison, MT R+15
- Helena Valley Southeast, MT R+35
- Montana City, MT R+28
- Clancy, MT R+26
- Helena Valley Northeast, MT R+37
- East Helena, MT R+31
- Helena Valley Northwest, MT R+38
- Rimini, MT R+16
Cities with Similar Populations
- Southlake, TX R+29
- Dakota Ridge, CO D+9
- Ephrata, PA R+29
- East Wenatchee, WA R+24
- Garden City, KS R+18
- Banning, CA R+4
- Foothill Farms, CA D+2
- Baldwinsville, NY D+4
- Sand Springs, OK R+33
- Lady Lake, FL R+28
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Montana 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.