Kansas City leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% Republican.
About 70% of adults in the Kansas City area typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in the Kansas City area, ~37% vote Democratic, ~33% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kansas City compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Kansas City leans more Democratic than 65 of 83 neighbors.
Kansas City runs about 23 points more Democratic than Missouri as a whole. Missouri leans Republican overall, while Kansas City is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Kansas City. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+12) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+35), a spread of about 48 points.
Why Kansas City 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 Kansas City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 75% of residents in the Kansas City area live in densely developed areas, about 39 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Kansas City sits in the top quarter (about 39%, above 87% of cities). Kansas City runs against the grain of Missouri, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Kansas City, MO sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Kansas City looks the way it does
Turnout in the Kansas City area sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- North Kansas City, MO D+32
- Avondale, MO Even
- Westwood, KS D+47
- Northmoor, MO D+16
- Riverside, MO Even
- Oaks, MO R+6
- Roeland Park, KS D+42
- Fairway, KS D+34
- Houston Lake, MO R+17
Cities with Similar Populations
- Cleveland, OH D+13
- Columbus, OH D+8
- Cincinnati, OH R+11
- Las Vegas, NV D+12
- Austin, TX D+20
- Indianapolis, IN Even
- Nashville, TN R+13
- San Jose, CA D+31
- Sacramento, CA D+14
- Queens, NY D+23
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.