Hillcrest leans heavily Democratic by roughly 44 points: about 72% of voters vote Democratic and 28% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Hillcrest typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Hillcrest, ~59% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~18% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Hillcrest compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Hillcrest leans more Democratic than 3 of 13 neighbors.
Hillcrest runs about 74 points more Democratic than Arkansas as a whole. Arkansas leans Republican overall, while Hillcrest is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Why Hillcrest 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 Hillcrest, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 79% of adults in Hillcrest hold a bachelor's degree, about 51 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Hillcrest runs against the grain of Arkansas, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Hillcrest, Little Rock, AR 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 Hillcrest looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Hillcrest 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Hillcrest have completed high school, above 86% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Heights, Little Rock, AR D+19
- Stephens, Little Rock, AR D+71
- Oak Forest, Little Rock, AR D+81
- Briarwood, Little Rock, AR D+49
- Midtown, Little Rock, AR D+32
- Boyle Park, Little Rock, AR D+58
- Downtown Little Rock, Little Rock, AR D+70
- South End, Little Rock, AR D+92
- Reservoir, Little Rock, AR D+34
- John Barrow, Little Rock, AR D+65
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Verdugo Woodlands, Glendale, CA D+19
- Sunset Hills, Lawrence, KS D+56
- Madison Park, Santa Ana, CA D+31
- Sauganash, Chicago, IL D+26
- Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre, PA D+12
- Gresham-North Gresham, Gresham, OR D+16
- South Delridge, Seattle, WA D+52
- Bouldin, Austin, TX D+54
- Seven Oaks, Wesley Chapel, FL R+9
- Viola, Monsey, NY R+70
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.