Meridian leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 59% of adults in Meridian typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Meridian, ~32% vote Democratic, ~27% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Meridian compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Meridian leans more Democratic than 35 of 44 neighbors.
Meridian runs about 34 points more Democratic than Mississippi as a whole. Mississippi leans Republican overall, while Meridian is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Meridian. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+65) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+50), a spread of about 114 points.
Why Meridian 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 Meridian, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting. Non-Hispanic white share in Meridian is about 43%, about 30 points below the U.S. average of 72%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 37% of adults in Meridian have never been married, above 90% of cities. Meridian runs against the grain of Mississippi, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Meridian, MS sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Meridian looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Meridian is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 8%, about 52 points below the U.S. average of 60%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 40% of households in Meridian rent, compared to around 20% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 31% of adults in Meridian report food insecurity, above 96% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Marion, MS Even
- Pine Springs, MS R+69
- Russell, MS R+18
- Wolf Springs, MS R+67
- Vimville, MS R+49
- Bailey, MS R+58
- Toomsuba, MS R+17
- Meehan, MS R+74
- Schamberville, MS R+63
- Shucktown, MS R+57
Cities with Similar Populations
- Hoffman Estates, IL D+15
- Union, NJ D+32
- Delaware, OH R+7
- Galveston, TX D+14
- Port Arthur, TX D+31
- Normal, IL D+23
- Downers Grove, IL D+17
- Tooele, UT R+40
- West Chester, OH R+9
- Hyattsville, MD D+57
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Mississippi 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.