Laurel is a Democratic stronghold. About 79% of voters here vote Democratic and 21% Republican.
About 62% of adults in Laurel typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Laurel, ~49% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Laurel compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Laurel leans more Democratic than 126 of 204 neighbors.
Laurel runs about 29 points more Democratic than Maryland as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Laurel. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+69) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+36), a spread of about 33 points.
Why Laurel 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 Laurel, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 85% of residents in Laurel live in densely developed areas, about 48 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Laurel sits in the top quarter (about 49%, above 93% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 40% of adults in Laurel have never been married, above 94% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Laurel, 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 Laurel looks the way it does
Turnout in Laurel 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
- Scaggsville, MD D+44
- South Laurel, MD D+65
- Maryland City, MD D+55
- Burtonsville, MD D+56
- Savage, MD D+56
- Beltsville, MD D+54
- Fulton, MD D+45
- Annapolis Junction, MD D+44
- Fairland, MD D+66
- Calverton, MD D+62
Cities with Similar Populations
- Elmwood Park, IL D+19
- Hobbs, NM R+43
- Clovis, NM R+31
- Buda, TX Even
- Parkville, MD D+39
- Belleville, MI D+11
- Essex, MD D+10
- Golden, CO D+29
- Bear, DE D+32
- Merritt Island, FL R+27
All Local Stats
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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.