Saugatuck leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% Republican.
About 99% of adults in Saugatuck typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Saugatuck, ~52% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~1% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Saugatuck compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Saugatuck leans more Democratic than 50 of 51 neighbors.
Saugatuck runs about 7 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Saugatuck. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+13) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+4), a spread of about 17 points.
Why Saugatuck 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 Saugatuck, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 55% of adults in Saugatuck hold a bachelor's degree, about 26 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Saugatuck sits in the top fifth on density (about 33%, above 81% of cities).
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Saugatuck, MI sits in the top quarter 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 Saugatuck looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Saugatuck 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 79%, about 19 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 92% of households in Saugatuck own their home, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Saugatuck have completed high school, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Douglas, MI D+5
- New Richmond, MI R+40
- East Saugatuck, MI R+32
- Spring Grove, MI R+20
- Fennville, MI R+18
- Ganges, MI R+15
- Glenn, MI R+37
- Macatawa, MI R+7
Cities with Similar Populations
- Crystal, MI R+46
- Baroda, MI R+26
- Northville, NY R+31
- Evans, MI R+36
- Lester Prairie, MN R+48
- Hallstead, PA R+40
- Hansville, WA D+26
- Random Lake, WI R+38
- Limington, ME R+39
- Sutherland Springs, TX R+60
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.