New Orleans leans Democratic by roughly 24 points: about 62% of voters vote Democratic and 38% Republican.
About 61% of adults in the New Orleans area typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in the New Orleans area, ~38% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How New Orleans compares
Among cities within 25 miles, New Orleans leans more Democratic than 43 of 48 neighbors.
New Orleans runs about 47 points more Democratic than Louisiana as a whole. Louisiana leans Republican overall, while New Orleans is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within New Orleans. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+77) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+6), a spread of about 83 points.
Why New Orleans 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 New Orleans, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 86% of residents in the New Orleans area live in densely developed areas, about 49 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and New Orleans sits in the top quarter (about 33%, above 79% of cities). New Orleans runs against the grain of Louisiana, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; New Orleans, LA 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 New Orleans looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 37% of households in the New Orleans area rent, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 24% of adults in the New Orleans area report food insecurity, above 90% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Arabi, LA R+18
- Gretna, LA D+20
- Terrytown, LA D+27
- Chalmette, LA R+10
- Jefferson, LA D+7
- Harvey, LA D+32
- Timberlane, LA D+16
- Bridge City, LA D+22
- Westwego, LA R+11
- Metairie, LA R+14
Cities with Similar Populations
- Tulsa, OK R+16
- Honolulu, HI D+18
- Tucson, AZ D+16
- Omaha, NE D+2
- Rochester, NY D+13
- Greenville, SC R+26
- Albuquerque, NM D+14
- Bakersfield, CA R+12
- Knoxville, TN R+32
- Albany, NY D+14
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.