Highlands leans Democratic by roughly 20 points: about 60% of voters vote Democratic and 40% Republican.
About 89% of adults in Highlands typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Highlands, ~54% vote Democratic, ~36% Republican, and ~10% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Highlands compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Highlands leans more Democratic than 2 of 11 neighbors.
Highlands runs about 56 points more Democratic than Idaho as a whole. Idaho leans Republican overall, while Highlands is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Highlands. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+23) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+11), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Highlands 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 Highlands, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 80% of adults in Highlands hold a bachelor's degree, about 52 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Highlands runs against the grain of Idaho, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a rural land-use pattern tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Highlands, Boise, ID does.
Why turnout in Highlands looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Highlands 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 80%, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Highlands have completed high school, above 83% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- North End, Boise, ID D+57
- Sunset, Boise, ID D+44
- Veterans Park, Boise, ID D+29
- Downtown, Boise, ID D+37
- East End, Boise, ID D+33
- Collister, Boise, ID D+21
- Depot Bench, Boise, ID D+35
- Winstead Park, Boise, ID D+20
- Central Bench, Boise, ID D+21
- West Bench, Boise, ID D+4
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Greenfield, Bakersfield, CA D+2
- Far North Dallas-Roanoke, Roanoke, TX R+16
- Terrace Hills, Mobile, AL R+12
- Atlantic Boulevard Estates, Jacksonville, FL D+4
- River Oaks, Fort Lauderdale, FL R+2
- Larrymore Lawns, Norfolk, VA D+58
- Eastern 49-63, Kansas City, MO D+72
- Southland, San Angelo, TX R+43
- Wilson, Oxnard, CA D+39
- Wood Park, Tempe, AZ D+30
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Idaho 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.