Silver Spring is a Democratic stronghold. About 83% of voters here vote Democratic and 17% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Silver Spring typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Silver Spring, ~54% vote Democratic, ~11% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Silver Spring compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Silver Spring leans more Democratic than 154 of 209 neighbors.
Silver Spring runs about 37 points more Democratic than Maryland as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Silver Spring. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+78) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+50), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Silver Spring 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 Silver Spring, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 95% of residents in Silver Spring live in densely developed areas, about 59 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Silver Spring sits in the top quarter (about 58%, above 96% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 39% of adults in Silver Spring have never been married, above 93% of cities.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Silver Spring, MD sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Silver Spring looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Silver Spring is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Four Corners, MD D+63
- Kemp Mill, MD D+49
- White Oak, MD D+63
- Takoma Park, MD D+77
- Adelphi, MD D+55
- Wheaton, MD D+48
- North Chevy Chase, MD D+74
- South Kensington, MD D+63
- Chevy Chase View, MD D+54
- Kensington, MD D+63
Cities with Similar Populations
- Troy, MI D+7
- Dearborn, MI R+9
- Woodstock, GA R+25
- Daly City, CA D+39
- Gaithersburg, MD D+43
- Franklin, TN R+21
- Douglasville, GA D+27
- Pensacola, FL R+14
- Stone Mountain, GA D+67
- Vacaville, CA D+5
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Maryland State Board 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.