Ocean City leans Republican by roughly 28 points: about 36% of voters vote Democratic and 64% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Ocean City typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ocean City, ~23% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ocean City compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Ocean City leans more Republican than 3 of 18 neighbors.
Ocean City runs about 16 points more Republican than Florida as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Ocean City. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+34) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+20), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Ocean City 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 Ocean City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Ocean City votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 80%, well above the Florida average of 57%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Ocean City, FL 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 Ocean City looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Ocean City is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Cinco Bayou, FL R+32
- Fort Walton Beach, FL R+27
- Shalimar, FL R+30
- Wright, FL R+18
- Lake Lorraine, FL R+29
- Eglin Afb, FL R+28
- Hurlburt Field, FL R+44
- Mary Esther, FL R+29
- Valparaiso, FL R+41
- Destin, FL R+40
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bruceton Mills, WV R+45
- Childress, TX R+56
- Osceola, WI R+32
- Bethel Heights, AR R+20
- Dodgeville, WI R+14
- Hogansville, GA R+39
- Culloden, WV R+48
- Versailles, MO R+62
- Clinton, WA D+37
- Ashland, MO R+22
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Florida 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.