Oak Forest leans heavily Democratic by roughly 34 points: about 67% of voters vote Democratic and 33% Republican.
About 86% of adults in Oak Forest typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Oak Forest, ~58% vote Democratic, ~28% Republican, and ~14% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Oak Forest compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Oak Forest leans more Democratic than 59 of 60 neighbors.
Oak Forest runs about 37 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Oak Forest is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Why Oak Forest 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 Oak Forest, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 82% of adults in Oak Forest hold a bachelor's degree, about 54 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Oak Forest sits in the top fifth on density (about 41%, above 84% of cities). Oak Forest runs against the grain of North Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Oak Forest, NC 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 Oak Forest looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Oak Forest 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Oak Forest have completed high school, above 97% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Arden, NC D+15
- Biltmore Forest, NC D+11
- Fletcher, NC R+9
- Asheville, NC D+39
- Mills River, NC R+17
- Fairview, NC D+4
- Hoopers Creek, NC R+36
- Candler, NC R+13
- Stony Fork, NC R+39
Cities with Similar Populations
- Hero, FL R+50
- Oliver, IL R+59
- Obed, IL R+66
- Liberty, VA R+65
- Amenia, ND R+50
- Utopia, OH R+66
- Lakewood, NM R+72
- Townsend, NY R+39
- Rocky Hill, TX R+59
- Anthonyville, AR D+9
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Carolina State Board 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.