Hillsdale is a Democratic stronghold. About 92% of voters here vote Democratic and 8% Republican.
About 54% of adults in Hillsdale typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Hillsdale, ~50% vote Democratic, ~4% Republican, and ~46% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Hillsdale compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Hillsdale leans more Democratic than 168 of 177 neighbors.
Hillsdale runs about 103 points more Democratic than Missouri as a whole. Missouri leans Republican overall, while Hillsdale is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Why Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Hillsdale 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 59% of adults in Hillsdale have never been married, in the top fraction of cities. Hillsdale runs against the grain of Missouri, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Hillsdale, MO sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Hillsdale looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Hillsdale 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 44%, about 13 points below the Missouri average of 57%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 69% of households in Hillsdale rent, compared to around 41% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 40% of adults in Hillsdale report food insecurity, in the top fraction of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Velda Village Hills, MO D+87
- Uplands Park, MO D+86
- Velda City, MO D+87
- Wellston, MO D+83
- Beverly Hills, MO D+86
- Pine Lawn, MO D+85
- Glen Echo Park, MO D+47
- Northwoods, MO D+86
- Pagedale, MO D+82
- Greendale, MO D+78
Cities with Similar Populations
- Paxton, FL R+58
- Byron, NY R+39
- Cockrum, MS R+70
- Sabillasville, MD R+42
- Belmont, NY R+37
- Watson, IL R+67
- Shults, OK R+68
- Julesburg, CO R+46
- Pierron, IL R+54
- Noble, IL R+63
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Missouri 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.