Ocean City leans slightly Republican by roughly 10 points: about 45% of voters vote Democratic and 55% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Ocean City typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ocean City, ~36% vote Democratic, ~45% Republican, and ~19% 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 17 of 48 neighbors.
Ocean City runs about 39 points more Republican than Maryland as a whole. Maryland leans Democratic overall, while Ocean City is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
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 52%, modestly above the Maryland average of 43%). Here an older population outweighs the Democratic lean that density usually predicts. Ocean City runs against the grain of Maryland, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Ocean City, MD sits above the national average 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 Ocean City looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Ocean City 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 65%, about 5 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- West Ocean City, MD R+20
- Ocean Pines, MD R+15
- Fenwick Island, DE D+3
- Selbyville, DE R+19
- Bishopville, MD R+39
- Snug Harbor, MD R+23
- Grays Corner, MD R+8
- Showell, MD R+28
- Berlin, MD R+7
- South Bethany, DE D+11
Cities with Similar Populations
- Salida, CO D+19
- West Salem, WI R+5
- Lovettsville, VA R+5
- Carson City, MI R+45
- Temple, PA R+8
- Furlong, PA Even
- Shipshewana, IN R+67
- Mansfield Center, MA D+14
- Pittstown, NJ R+14
- Jersey Village, TX R+11
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Maryland 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.