Pitkin County leans heavily Democratic by roughly 40 points: about 70% of voters vote Democratic and 30% Republican.
About 89% of adults in Pitkin County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pitkin County, ~62% vote Democratic, ~27% Republican, and ~11% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pitkin County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Pitkin County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Pitkin County runs about 29 points more Democratic than Colorado as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Pitkin County. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+56) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+26), a spread of about 31 points.
Why Pitkin 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 Pitkin County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 62% of adults in Pitkin County hold a bachelor's degree, about 34 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Pitkin County, CO 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 Pitkin County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Pitkin County 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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Pitkin County have completed high school, above 98% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Eagle County, CO D+14
- Lake County, CO D+25
- Garfield County, CO R+5
- Gunnison County, CO D+31
- Summit County, CO D+23
- Chaffee County, CO D+6
- Delta County, CO R+35
- Park County, CO R+9
- Grand County, CO R+6
- Montrose County, CO R+30
Counties with Similar Populations
- Drew County, AR R+25
- Chester County, TN R+61
- Park County, CO R+9
- Richland County, WI R+19
- Humboldt County, NV R+53
- Sharp County, AR R+62
- Northampton County, NC D+15
- Union County, IL R+48
- Lee County, TX R+52
- Cook County, GA R+34
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Colorado 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.