Oak Forest is a Democratic stronghold. About 90% of voters here vote Democratic and 10% Republican.
About 39% of adults in Oak Forest typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Oak Forest, ~35% vote Democratic, ~4% Republican, and ~61% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Oak Forest compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Oak Forest leans more Democratic than 15 of 16 neighbors.
Oak Forest runs about 111 points more Democratic than Arkansas as a whole. Arkansas leans Republican overall, while Oak Forest is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Oak Forest. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+91) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+71), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Oak Forest 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 Oak Forest, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Oak Forest votes against the grain of Arkansas. Arkansas leans Republican overall, while Oak Forest runs about 111 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 58% of adults in Oak Forest have never been married, above 91% of neighborhoods.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Oak Forest, Little Rock, AR sits in the bottom 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 Oak Forest looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Oak Forest 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 39%, about 13 points below the Arkansas average of 51%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 42% of adults in Oak Forest report food insecurity, above 95% of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Oak Forest sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Stephens, Little Rock, AR D+71
- Boyle Park, Little Rock, AR D+58
- Hillcrest, Little Rock, AR D+43
- Briarwood, Little Rock, AR D+49
- John Barrow, Little Rock, AR D+65
- South End, Little Rock, AR D+92
- Heights, Little Rock, AR D+19
- Wakefield, Little Rock, AR D+71
- Midtown, Little Rock, AR D+32
- Downtown Little Rock, Little Rock, AR D+70
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Panther Creek, The Woodlands, TX R+22
- Madison Heights, Pasadena, CA D+65
- Barnaby Woods, Washington, DC D+74
- Lincoln Park, Washington, DC D+84
- Fairview, Anchorage, AK D+32
- South San Pedro, Albuquerque, NM D+30
- Southeast Nashua, Nashua, NH D+26
- Hill East, Washington, DC D+80
- Northeast Hazel Dell, Hazel Dell, WA D+18
- East Milton, Milton, MA D+31
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Arkansas 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.