Highland Park leans heavily Democratic by roughly 38 points: about 69% of voters vote Democratic and 31% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Highland Park typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Highland Park, ~50% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Highland Park compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Highland Park leans more Democratic than 5 of 19 neighbors.
Highland Park runs about 39 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Highland Park sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Highland Park. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+48) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+34), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Highland Park 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 Highland Park, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Highland Park 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 48% of adults in Highland Park have never been married, above 78% of neighborhoods. Highland Park runs against the grain of Michigan, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Developed land and Democratic lean
Places with a heavily developed built environment tend to lean Democratic; Highland Park, Grand Rapids, MI sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Developed land does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Highland Park looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 98% of adults in Highland Park have completed high school, about 6 points above the Michigan average of 92%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Midtown-Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, MI D+62
- Belknap Lookout, Grand Rapids, MI D+50
- Heritage Hill, Grand Rapids, MI D+61
- East Hills, Grand Rapids, MI D+58
- Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids, MI D+34
- Heartside-Downtown, Grand Rapids, MI D+55
- Creston, Grand Rapids, MI D+25
- Eastown, Grand Rapids, MI D+56
- West Grand, Grand Rapids, MI D+33
- Swan, Grand Rapids, MI D+45
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- East Columbus, Columbus, IN R+21
- Van Wyck Brooks Historic District, Plainfield, NJ D+58
- Ortega Farms, Jacksonville, FL D+11
- Indian Village, Lincoln, NE D+32
- Center Street Historic District, Ashland, OH R+23
- Nob Hill, Albuquerque, NM D+72
- Holiday Park, Palm Bay, FL R+9
- Hunterwood, Houston, TX D+28
- Carthage, Cincinnati, OH D+34
- Park Place, Mobile, AL D+5
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.