Plainfield is a Democratic stronghold. About 78% of voters here vote Democratic and 22% Republican.
About 43% of adults in Plainfield typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Plainfield, ~34% vote Democratic, ~9% Republican, and ~57% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Plainfield compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Plainfield leans more Democratic than 233 of 242 neighbors.
Plainfield runs about 51 points more Democratic than New Jersey as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Plainfield. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+71) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+33), a spread of about 38 points.
Why Plainfield 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 Plainfield, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 99% of residents in Plainfield live in densely developed areas, about 63 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 49% of adults in Plainfield have never been married, above 98% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Plainfield, NJ 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 Plainfield looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Plainfield is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 27%, about 17 points above the New Jersey average of 10%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 55% of households in Plainfield rent, compared to around 22% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 34% of adults in Plainfield report food insecurity, above 97% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- North Plainfield, NJ D+31
- Watchung, NJ D+3
- South Plainfield, NJ D+2
- Fanwood, NJ D+29
- Scotch Plains, NJ D+23
- Dunellen, NJ D+6
- Berkeley Heights, NJ D+11
- Westfield, NJ D+27
- Piscataway, NJ D+31
- Middlesex, NJ R+6
Cities with Similar Populations
- Winter Park, FL D+4
- Webster, NY D+4
- Texarkana, TX R+17
- Covington, LA R+39
- Montgomery, TX R+54
- North Highlands, CA D+7
- Carmichael, CA D+11
- Peabody, MA D+4
- Apache Junction, AZ R+28
- Fuquay-Varina, NC R+4
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New Jersey 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.