Shaker Heights is a Democratic stronghold. About 86% of voters here vote Democratic and 14% Republican.
About 82% of adults in Shaker Heights typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Shaker Heights, ~70% vote Democratic, ~12% Republican, and ~18% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Shaker Heights compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Shaker Heights leans more Democratic than 112 of 118 neighbors.
Shaker Heights runs about 83 points more Democratic than Ohio as a whole. Ohio leans Republican overall, while Shaker Heights is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Shaker Heights. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+88) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+52), a spread of about 36 points.
Why Shaker Heights 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 Shaker Heights, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 70% of adults in Shaker Heights hold a bachelor's degree, about 41 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Shaker Heights sits in the top fifth on density (more than 99%, in the top fraction of cities). Shaker Heights runs against the grain of Ohio, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Shaker Heights, OH 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 Shaker Heights looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Shaker Heights 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Shaker Heights have completed high school, above 95% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- University Heights, OH D+35
- Highland Hills, OH D+85
- Beachwood, OH D+45
- North Randall, OH D+85
- Cleveland Heights, OH D+70
- Warrensville Heights, OH D+88
- South Euclid, OH D+64
- Woodmere, OH D+46
- Maple Heights, OH D+73
- East Cleveland, OH D+87
Cities with Similar Populations
- Ponchatoula, LA R+51
- Coventry, RI R+4
- Elmira, NY D+3
- Newtown, PA D+7
- Summerfield, FL R+39
- Denison, TX R+37
- Jasper, AL R+67
- Grand Haven, MI R+10
- Ridgecrest, CA R+25
- Tewksbury, MA Even
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.