Howard County leans heavily Democratic by roughly 40 points: about 70% of voters vote Democratic and 30% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Howard County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Howard County, ~55% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Howard County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Howard County leans more Democratic than 16 of 23 neighbors.
Howard County runs about 12 points more Democratic than Maryland as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Howard County. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+52) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+17), a spread of about 36 points.
Why Howard County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Howard County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 64% of adults in Howard County hold a bachelor's degree, about 36 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Howard County sits in the top fifth on density (about 73%, above 92% of counties).
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Howard County, MD 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 Howard County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Howard County 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 95% of adults in Howard County have completed high school, above 91% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Baltimore City, MD D+72
- Baltimore County, MD D+28
- Anne Arundel County, MD D+17
- Montgomery County, MD D+52
- Prince George's County, MD D+71
- Carroll County, MD R+24
- District of Columbia, DC D+80
- Arlington County, VA D+57
- Falls Church City, VA D+45
- Alexandria City, VA D+55
Counties with Similar Populations
- Boulder County, CO D+52
- Henrico County, VA D+31
- Cumberland County, NC D+20
- St. Lucie County, FL R+5
- Weld County, CO R+17
- Spartanburg County, SC R+25
- Rockland County, NY R+14
- Luzerne County, PA R+14
- Durham County, NC D+59
- Rutherford County, TN R+16
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Maryland State Board 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.