Madison Area is a Democratic stronghold. About 86% of voters here vote Democratic and 14% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Madison Area typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Madison Area, ~47% vote Democratic, ~8% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Madison Area compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Madison Area is the most Democratic-leaning.
Madison Area runs about 74 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Madison Area sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Why Madison Area 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 Madison Area, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Madison Area live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 54% of adults in Madison Area have never been married, above 88% of neighborhoods. Madison Area runs against the grain of Michigan, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Madison Area, Grand Rapids, MI does.
Why turnout in Madison Area looks the way it does
Areas with high food insecurity turn out at lower rates. About 33% of adults in Madison Area report food insecurity, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 16%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 82% of adults in Madison Area have completed high school, below 83% of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Madison Area sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- South East Community, Grand Rapids, MI D+66
- Fuller Avenue, Grand Rapids, MI D+71
- East Hills, Grand Rapids, MI D+58
- Heritage Hill, Grand Rapids, MI D+61
- Garfield Park, Grand Rapids, MI D+48
- South East End, Grand Rapids, MI D+54
- Eastown, Grand Rapids, MI D+56
- Roosevelt Park, Grand Rapids, MI D+39
- Heartside-Downtown, Grand Rapids, MI D+55
- Alger Heights, Grand Rapids, MI D+46
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Sunset, Tempe, AZ D+41
- Historic District, Natchitoches, LA D+13
- Old West Tampa, Tampa, FL D+39
- Croissant Park, Fort Lauderdale, FL D+5
- Minikahda Vista, St. Louis Park, MN D+55
- Jacoby Creek, Arcata, CA D+59
- Wentworth Estates, Naples, FL R+16
- Heart of the Westside, Springfield, MO R+15
- Southgate Triangle, Missoula, MT D+26
- McFerrin Park, Nashville, TN D+71
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.