Nehalem leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Nehalem typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Nehalem, ~46% vote Democratic, ~35% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Nehalem compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Nehalem leans more Democratic than 11 of 20 neighbors.
Politically, Nehalem sits close to the rest of Oregon.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Nehalem. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+30) and the south side runs the most Republican (R+2), a spread of about 32 points.
Why Nehalem 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 Nehalem, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 31% of adults in Nehalem hold a bachelor's degree, above 76% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Nehalem, OR sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Nehalem looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Nehalem 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 92% of households in Nehalem own their home, compared to around 74% in nearby cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Manzanita, OR D+26
- Wheeler, OR D+23
- Arch Cape, OR D+18
- Rockaway Beach, OR R+4
- Garibaldi, OR Even
- Tolovana Park, OR D+29
- Cannon Beach, OR D+25
- Bay City, OR R+9
Cities with Similar Populations
- Milton, KY R+58
- Belle, MO R+62
- Singer, LA R+82
- Marmaduke, AR R+66
- Wadmalaw Island, SC D+14
- Panora, IA R+37
- Waterville, NY R+39
- Tuxedo Park, NY Even
- Simsboro, LA R+29
- Boomer, NC R+59
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Oregon Secretary of State, Elections Division, 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.