Shelby Forest-Frayser is a Democratic stronghold. About 81% of voters here vote Democratic and 19% Republican.
About 51% of adults in Shelby Forest-Frayser typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Shelby Forest-Frayser, ~41% vote Democratic, ~10% Republican, and ~49% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Shelby Forest-Frayser compares
Shelby Forest-Frayser runs about 92 points more Democratic than Tennessee as a whole. Tennessee leans Republican overall, while Shelby Forest-Frayser is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Shelby Forest-Frayser. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+80) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+15), a spread of about 65 points.
Why Shelby Forest-Frayser leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Shelby Forest-Frayser, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Shelby Forest-Frayser votes against the grain of Tennessee. Tennessee leans Republican overall, while Shelby Forest-Frayser runs about 92 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 51% of adults in Shelby Forest-Frayser have never been married, above 83% of neighborhoods.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a high uninsured rate tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Shelby Forest-Frayser, Memphis, TN does.
Why turnout in Shelby Forest-Frayser looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Shelby Forest-Frayser 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 41%, about 15 points below the Tennessee average of 56%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 85% of adults in Shelby Forest-Frayser have completed high school, below 76% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Raleigh, Memphis, TN D+68
- Crosstown, Memphis, TN D+60
- Berclair-Highland Heights, Memphis, TN D+23
- Medical District, Memphis, TN D+71
- Midtown-Memphis, Memphis, TN D+66
- Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN D+69
- East Memphis-Colonial-Yorkshire, Memphis, TN D+37
- Cordova-Appling, Cordova, TN D+30
- River Oaks-Kirby-Balmoral, Memphis, TN D+30
- River Oaks, Memphis, TN D+15
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Dunning, Chicago, IL Even
- Irving Park, Chicago, IL D+54
- Desert View, Phoenix, AZ R+12
- South End, Tacoma, WA D+31
- Palms, Los Angeles, CA D+56
- Central Escondido, Escondido, CA D+18
- Carnegie Hill, Manhattan, NY D+60
- North Dallas, Dallas, TX D+2
- Southwest Ada, Boise, ID R+21
- Gateway-Green Valley Ranch, Denver, CO D+40
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of 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.