McLean leans heavily Democratic by roughly 38 points: about 69% of voters vote Democratic and 31% Republican.
About 92% of adults in McLean typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in McLean, ~63% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~8% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How McLean compares
Among cities within 25 miles, McLean leans more Democratic than 77 of 208 neighbors.
McLean runs about 31 points more Democratic than Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within McLean. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+42) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+27), a spread of about 15 points.
Why McLean 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 McLean, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 86% of adults in McLean hold a bachelor's degree, about 57 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and McLean sits in the top fifth on density (about 87%, above 96% of cities).
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; McLean, VA 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 McLean looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. McLean is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 81%, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in McLean have completed high school, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Tysons Corner, VA D+43
- Cabin John, MD D+62
- Idylwood, VA D+41
- Glen Echo, MD D+63
- Dunn Loring, VA D+40
- Falls Church, VA D+42
- West Falls Church, VA D+43
- Vienna, VA D+40
- Bethesda, MD D+65
- Somerset, MD D+66
Cities with Similar Populations
- Redmond, OR R+14
- Maplewood, MN D+24
- Walla Walla, WA D+2
- Tupelo, MS R+9
- Cleburne, TX R+47
- Hamburg, NY R+4
- Cedar Falls, IA D+4
- Oak Harbor, WA R+5
- Burke, VA D+33
- Hampton, GA D+42
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department 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.