Highlands Historic District leans heavily Democratic by roughly 36 points: about 68% of voters vote Democratic and 32% Republican.
About 50% of adults in Highlands Historic District typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Highlands Historic District, ~34% vote Democratic, ~16% Republican, and ~50% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Highlands Historic District compares
Highlands Historic District runs about 38 points more Democratic than Pennsylvania as a whole. Pennsylvania is roughly evenly split, and Highlands Historic District sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Highlands Historic District. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+45) and the west side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+33), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Highlands Historic District 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 Historic District, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 69% of adults in Highlands Historic District hold a bachelor's degree, about 40 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 84% of adults in Highlands Historic District have never been married, in the top fraction of neighborhoods. Highlands Historic District runs against the grain of Pennsylvania, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Highlands Historic District, State College, PA 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 Highlands Historic District looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Highlands Historic District is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 46%, about 18 points below the Pennsylvania average of 64%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 86% of households in Highlands Historic District rent, compared to around 56% in nearby neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Holmes-Foster Historic District, State College, PA D+47
- Dogtown, Selinsgrove, PA R+2
- Pine Brook, Camp Hill, PA Even
- Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, PA D+73
- Midtown Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA D+64
- Allison Hill, Harrisburg, PA D+63
- Hall Manor, Harrisburg, PA D+59
- Shiloh, York, PA R+12
- The Avenues, York, PA D+30
- Park Village, York, PA D+41
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Clinton, Oakland, CA D+58
- New Tampa, Tampa, FL D+14
- Spirit Valley-Denfeld-Norton Park, Duluth, MN D+20
- Angelo Heights, San Angelo, TX R+22
- Tenney-Lapham, Madison, WI D+82
- Flagler Heights, Fort Lauderdale, FL D+20
- Lakewood Springs, Plano, IL Even
- Near N Valley, Albuquerque, NM D+42
- Lely Resort, Naples, FL R+15
- Pinellas Point, St. Petersburg, FL D+48
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau 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.