Poplar leans Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Poplar typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Poplar, ~48% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Poplar compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Poplar is the most Democratic-leaning.
Poplar runs about 50 points more Democratic than Montana as a whole. Montana leans Republican overall, while Poplar is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Poplar. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+35) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+10), a spread of about 45 points.
Why Poplar 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 Poplar, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Poplar votes against the grain of Montana. Montana leans Republican overall, while Poplar runs about 50 points more Democratic. Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting, and non-Hispanic white share in Poplar is about 12%, compared to around 58% in nearby cities. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 63% of adults in Poplar have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Poplar, MT sits in the bottom 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 Poplar looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Poplar is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 40%, about 22 points below the Montana average of 62%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Brockton, MT R+10
- Mccabe, MT R+11
- Wolf Point, MT D+6
- Fort Kipp, MT R+26
- Vida, MT R+77
- Volt, MT R+25
- Culbertson, MT R+61
- Richey, MT R+74
- Oswego, MT R+26
- Homestead, MT R+47
Cities with Similar Populations
- Pillager, MN R+47
- Newkirk, OK R+67
- Bellwood, PA R+46
- Meriden, KS R+48
- Tolar, TX R+76
- Kings Bay, GA R+47
- Battle Ground, IN R+32
- Wesleyville, PA R+6
- Black Creek, WI R+47
- Springfield, NE R+38
All Local Stats
Home Services
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Montana 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.