Kent leans Democratic by roughly 24 points: about 62% of voters vote Democratic and 38% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Kent typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kent, ~40% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kent compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Kent leans more Democratic than 114 of 126 neighbors.
Kent runs about 35 points more Democratic than Ohio as a whole. Ohio leans Republican overall, while Kent is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Kent. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+55) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+10), a spread of about 65 points.
Why Kent 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 Kent, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 76% of residents in Kent live in densely developed areas, about 40 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Kent sits in the top quarter (about 49%, above 93% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 54% of adults in Kent have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Kent, OH sits in the top quarter 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 Kent looks the way it does
Turnout in Kent 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
- Brady Lake, OH R+7
- Twin Lakes, OH R+3
- Sugar Bush Knolls, OH R+9
- Munroe Falls, OH Even
- Tallmadge, OH R+8
- Stow, OH Even
- Ravenna, OH R+18
- Silver Lake, OH D+6
- Campbellsport, OH R+34
- Streetsboro, OH R+11
Cities with Similar Populations
- Beverly, MA D+29
- Dunedin, FL R+10
- Fair Oaks, CA D+6
- Hudson, FL R+37
- Elkton, MD R+17
- Lumberton, NC R+11
- Ellenwood, GA D+76
- North Brunswick, NJ D+25
- Bloomfield, NJ D+39
- Los Gatos, CA D+32
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.