Royal Oak leans heavily Democratic by roughly 32 points: about 66% of voters vote Democratic and 34% Republican.
About 86% of adults in Royal Oak typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Royal Oak, ~57% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~14% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Royal Oak compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Royal Oak leans more Democratic than 76 of 92 neighbors.
Royal Oak runs about 33 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Royal Oak sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Royal Oak. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+44) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+25), a spread of about 19 points.
Why Royal Oak 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 Royal Oak, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Royal Oak live in densely developed areas, about 63 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Royal Oak sits in the top quarter (about 64%, above 98% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 43% of adults in Royal Oak have never been married, above 95% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Royal Oak, MI 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 Royal Oak looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Royal Oak 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 76%, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Royal Oak have completed high school, above 90% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Berkley, MI D+31
- Huntington Woods, MI D+47
- Clawson, MI D+13
- Pleasant Ridge, MI D+49
- Madison Heights, MI D+9
- Oak Park, MI D+59
- Ferndale, MI D+53
- Lathrup Village, MI D+74
- Birmingham, MI D+21
- Hazel Park, MI D+18
Cities with Similar Populations
- La Jolla, CA D+39
- Colton, CA D+17
- Oak Lawn, IL D+2
- Carson City, NV R+11
- Perth Amboy, NJ D+11
- Placentia, CA D+4
- Marana, AZ R+9
- Carrollton, GA R+23
- Westminster, MD R+23
- Medford, MA D+46
All Local Stats
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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.