Orono leans heavily Democratic by roughly 46 points: about 73% of voters vote Democratic and 27% Republican. These figures are model estimates: Maine did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the numbers above come from demographic and health features rather than local ground truth.
About 62% of adults in Orono typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Orono, ~45% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Orono compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Orono is the most Democratic-leaning.
Orono runs about 39 points more Democratic than Maine as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Orono. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+61) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+25), a spread of about 35 points.
Why Orono 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 Orono, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 69% of adults in Orono hold a bachelor's degree, about 40 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 65% of adults in Orono have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Orono, ME sits in the top quarter 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 Orono looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 58% of households in Orono rent, about 33 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Bradley, ME R+34
- Old Town, ME D+6
- Milford, ME R+32
- East Eddington, ME R+15
- Eddington, ME R+17
- Bangor, ME D+13
- Brewer, ME D+5
- Glenburn Center, ME R+27
- West Old Town, ME R+36
- Indian Island Penobscot Indian Reservation, ME R+36
Cities with Similar Populations
- Highlands, TX R+31
- Saltillo, MS R+59
- Pelzer, SC R+56
- Fallston, MD R+26
- Gulfport, FL D+7
- Garden City, GA D+31
- Monticello, AR R+21
- Willits, CA D+16
- Lanett, AL D+3
- Chelsea, MI D+17
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations Elections and Commissions, 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. ME did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the figures here come from extrapolation across demographic, health, and land-use features rather than local ground truth. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.