Lower 9th Ward is a Democratic stronghold. About 90% of voters here vote Democratic and 10% Republican.
About 56% of adults in Lower 9th Ward typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lower 9th Ward, ~50% vote Democratic, ~6% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lower 9th Ward compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Lower 9th Ward leans more Democratic than 22 of 27 neighbors.
Lower 9th Ward runs about 102 points more Democratic than Louisiana as a whole. Louisiana leans Republican overall, while Lower 9th Ward is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Lower 9th Ward. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+88) and the east side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+55), a spread of about 33 points.
Why Lower 9th Ward leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Lower 9th Ward, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Lower 9th Ward votes against the grain of Louisiana. Louisiana leans Republican overall, while Lower 9th Ward runs about 102 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 52% of adults in Lower 9th Ward have never been married, above 85% of neighborhoods.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with high food insecurity tend to turn out at a lower rate; Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans, LA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Lower 9th Ward looks the way it does
Areas with high food insecurity turn out at lower rates. About 38% of adults in Lower 9th Ward report food insecurity, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 16%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Lower 9th Ward sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Holy Cross, New Orleans, LA D+77
- Saint Claude, New Orleans, LA D+71
- Bywater, New Orleans, LA D+63
- Behrman, New Orleans, LA D+79
- Saint Roch, New Orleans, LA D+79
- French Quarter, New Orleans, LA D+46
- Old Aurora, New Orleans, LA D+56
- Seventh Ward, New Orleans, LA D+78
- Gentilly Woods, New Orleans, LA D+73
- Gentilly Terrace, New Orleans, LA D+75
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Downtown, Salt Lake City, UT D+48
- Cypress-Riverside, Highland, CA D+13
- Pear Orchard, Beaumont, TX D+83
- East End, Charleston, WV D+44
- Northport, Fargo, ND Even
- Taylor, Cedar Rapids, IA D+24
- Mallard Creek-Withrow Downs, Charlotte, NC D+60
- Downtown Duluth, Duluth, MN D+45
- Northeast, Kansas City, KS D+67
- South East Community, Grand Rapids, MI D+66
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Louisiana 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.