South Area leans Republican by roughly 18 points: about 41% of voters vote Democratic and 59% Republican.
About 43% of adults in South Area typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Area, ~18% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~57% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South Area compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, South Area is the most Republican-leaning.
Politically, South Area sits close to the rest of Kansas.
Politics vary noticeably by block within South Area. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+25) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+7), a spread of about 19 points.
Why South Area 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 South Area, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 11% of adults in South Area hold a bachelor's degree, about 16 points below the Kansas average of 27%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 81% of residents in South Area drive to work alone, above 86% of neighborhoods.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; South Area, Wichita, KS sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in South Area looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. South Area is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 84% of adults in South Area have completed high school, below 79% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- South City Community, Wichita, KS D+10
- Riverside, Wichita, KS R+13
- Southwest, Wichita, KS Even
- Mead, Wichita, KS D+16
- South Central Improvemen, Wichita, KS D+12
- Southwest Village, Wichita, KS R+15
- Stanley-Aley, Wichita, KS R+5
- College Hill, Wichita, KS D+29
- Eastridge, Wichita, KS D+23
- Chisholm Creek, Wichita, KS D+9
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Haywood Park, San Mateo, CA D+52
- Fourth Ward, Houston, TX D+47
- Athmar Park, Denver, CO D+46
- Downtown Ontario, Ontario, CA D+24
- Northside, Cincinnati, OH D+68
- South Overton, Lubbock, TX D+33
- Normandie Heights, Pasadena, CA D+55
- Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA D+84
- South Oak Park, Sacramento, CA D+40
- Secret Cove, Jacksonville, FL D+13
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kansas 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.