Pierce County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Pierce County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pierce County, ~39% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pierce County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Pierce County leans more Democratic than 2 of 5 neighbors.
Pierce County runs about 7 points more Republican than Washington as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Pierce County. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+44) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+9), a spread of about 53 points.
Why Pierce County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Pierce County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 81% of residents in Pierce County live in densely developed areas, about 45 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Pierce County sits in the top quarter (about 31%, above 78% of counties).
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Pierce County, WA 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 Pierce County looks the way it does
Turnout in Pierce County 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 Counties
- Thurston County, WA D+19
- King County, WA D+45
- Mason County, WA R+5
- Kitsap County, WA D+18
- Lewis County, WA R+29
- Snohomish County, WA D+10
- Jefferson County, WA D+45
- Grays Harbor County, WA R+8
- Island County, WA D+10
- Cowlitz County, WA R+18
Counties with Similar Populations
- Shelby County, TN D+40
- DuPage County, IL D+14
- Kern County, CA R+12
- Denton County, TX R+7
- Milwaukee County, WI D+41
- Erie County, NY D+15
- Bergen County, NJ D+5
- Gwinnett County, GA D+21
- Pinellas County, FL R+3
- Macomb County, MI R+10
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Washington Secretary of State, 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.