Reno leans slightly Democratic by roughly 8 points: about 54% of voters vote Democratic and 46% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Reno typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Reno, ~35% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Reno compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Reno leans more Democratic than 18 of 23 neighbors.
Reno runs about 10 points more Democratic than Nevada as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Reno. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+15) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+4), a spread of about 19 points.
Why Reno 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 Reno, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 82% of residents in Reno live in densely developed areas, about 46 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Reno sits in the top quarter (about 37%, above 84% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in Reno have never been married, above 89% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Reno, NV sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Reno looks the way it does
Turnout in Reno 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 Cities
- Sun Valley, NV R+4
- Sparks, NV Even
- Verdi, NV R+20
- Lemmon Valley, NV R+30
- Spanish Springs, NV R+34
- Copperfield, NV R+39
- Floriston, CA D+5
- Cold Springs, NV R+37
- Washoe Valley, NV R+32
Cities with Similar Populations
- Glendale, AZ D+3
- Newark, NJ D+52
- Irvine, CA D+18
- Durham, NC D+59
- Santa Ana, CA D+24
- Spring, TX R+12
- Marietta, GA D+13
- Lincoln, NE D+11
- Fort Wayne, IN D+2
- Naples, FL R+24
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Nevada 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.