Pleasant Ridge leans heavily Democratic by roughly 50 points: about 75% of voters vote Democratic and 25% Republican.
About more than 99% of adults in Pleasant Ridge typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pleasant Ridge, ~76% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~-1% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pleasant Ridge compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Pleasant Ridge leans more Democratic than 82 of 91 neighbors.
Pleasant Ridge runs about 51 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Pleasant Ridge sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Why Pleasant Ridge 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 Pleasant Ridge, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Pleasant Ridge live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Pleasant Ridge sits in the top quarter (about 81%, in the top fraction of cities). Pleasant Ridge runs against the grain of Michigan, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Pleasant Ridge, MI sits in the top tenth nationally 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 Pleasant Ridge looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Pleasant Ridge 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 81%, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 96% of households in Pleasant Ridge own their home, compared to around 74% in nearby cities. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in Pleasant Ridge have completed high school, above 98% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Ferndale, MI D+53
- Huntington Woods, MI D+47
- Oak Park, MI D+59
- Hazel Park, MI D+18
- Royal Oak, MI D+32
- Berkley, MI D+31
- Madison Heights, MI D+9
- Highland Park, MI D+85
- Lathrup Village, MI D+74
- Clawson, MI D+13
Cities with Similar Populations
- Eau Claire, MI R+34
- Cordova, AK R+30
- Midway, TN R+71
- Omaha, AR R+65
- Riegelsville, PA R+13
- Eva, AL R+81
- Roaring River, NC R+62
- Olanta, SC R+23
- Lost Hills, CA D+8
- Petersburg, TN R+70
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.