Oak Ridge leans slightly Republican by roughly 14 points: about 43% of voters vote Democratic and 57% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Oak Ridge typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Oak Ridge, ~31% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Oak Ridge compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Oak Ridge is the least Republican-leaning.
Oak Ridge runs about 15 points more Democratic than Tennessee as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Oak Ridge. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+11) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+28), a spread of about 39 points.
Why Oak Ridge 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 Ridge, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Oak Ridge votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 63%, far above the Tennessee average of 21%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Developed land and Democratic lean
Places with a heavily developed built environment tend to lean Democratic; Oak Ridge, TN sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Developed land does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Oak Ridge looks the way it does
Turnout in Oak Ridge sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Oliver Springs, TN R+58
- Windrock, TN R+68
- Kelley Town, TN R+66
- Jonesville, TN R+40
- Laurel Grove, TN R+68
- Clinton, TN R+48
- Coalfield, TN R+67
- Union, TN R+62
- Briceville, TN R+69
Cities with Similar Populations
- Endicott, NY Even
- Port Chester, NY D+18
- Wadsworth, OH R+22
- Thomasville, GA R+6
- Drexel Hill, PA D+32
- Vineyard, CA D+12
- Lafayette, CO D+49
- Long Branch, NJ D+9
- Rosemount, MN D+6
- Dawsonville, GA R+58
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Tennessee Secretary of State, Division 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.