North Oakland is a Democratic stronghold. About 82% of voters here vote Democratic and 18% Republican.
About 68% of adults in North Oakland typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in North Oakland, ~56% vote Democratic, ~12% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How North Oakland compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, North Oakland leans more Democratic than 20 of 34 neighbors.
North Oakland runs about 67 points more Democratic than Pennsylvania as a whole. Pennsylvania is roughly evenly split, and North Oakland sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by block within North Oakland. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+76) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+53), a spread of about 22 points.
Why North Oakland 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 North Oakland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in North Oakland 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 78% of adults in North Oakland have never been married, in the top fraction of neighborhoods. North Oakland runs against the grain of Pennsylvania, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; North Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in North Oakland looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 98% of adults in North Oakland have completed high school, about 7 points above the Pennsylvania average of 91%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA D+58
- West Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA D+69
- Bloomfield, Pittsburgh, PA D+64
- Shadyside, Pittsburgh, PA D+68
- Squirrel Hill North, Pittsburgh, PA D+69
- Garfield, Pittsburgh, PA D+84
- Central Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh, PA D+58
- Greenfield, Pittsburgh, PA D+50
- Southside Flats, Pittsburgh, PA D+55
- East Liberty, Pittsburgh, PA D+82
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Turner, Kansas City, KS Even
- Sorrento Valley, San Diego, CA D+26
- Corwith, Chicago, IL D+30
- King, Ann Arbor, MI D+58
- Hatchville, East Falmouth, MA D+17
- Wessex Square, Charlotte, NC Even
- Port Gardner, Everett, WA D+34
- Riviera, Coral Gables, FL D+20
- Forest, Buffalo, NY D+54
- Ingleside, San Francisco, CA D+50
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau 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.