Lake Wales leans Republican by roughly 24 points: about 38% of voters vote Democratic and 62% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Lake Wales typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lake Wales, ~25% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lake Wales compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Lake Wales leans more Republican than 15 of 42 neighbors.
Lake Wales runs about 11 points more Republican than Florida as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Lake Wales. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+16) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+48), a spread of about 63 points.
Why Lake Wales 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 Lake Wales, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Lake Wales votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 41%, well below the Florida average of 57%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Non-English at home and voter turnout
Places with a low non-English-at-home share tend to turn out at a higher rate; Lake Wales, FL sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Lake Wales looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Lake Wales is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Highland Park, FL R+48
- Waverly, FL R+17
- Babson Park, FL R+51
- Nalcrest, FL R+52
- Dundee, FL R+12
- Hillcrest Heights, FL R+49
- Alturas, FL R+66
- Loughman, FL R+35
- Cypress Gardens, FL R+34
- Lake Hamilton, FL R+17
Cities with Similar Populations
- Calexico, CA D+12
- Hilton Head Island, SC R+11
- Moncks Corner, SC R+17
- Danville, IL Even
- Hephzibah, GA D+45
- Rome, NY R+18
- Orangeburg, SC D+44
- Villa Rica, GA R+21
- Schertz, TX R+10
- Laurel, MS R+12
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Florida Division 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.