South Burlington leans heavily Democratic by roughly 36 points: about 68% of voters vote Democratic and 32% Republican. These figures are model estimates: Vermont did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the numbers above come from demographic and health features rather than local ground truth.
About 76% of adults in South Burlington typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Burlington, ~52% vote Democratic, ~24% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South Burlington compares
Among cities within 25 miles, South Burlington leans more Democratic than 63 of 68 neighbors.
Politically, South Burlington sits close to the rest of Vermont.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within South Burlington. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+49) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+22), a spread of about 27 points.
Why South Burlington 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 South Burlington, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 66% of adults in South Burlington hold a bachelor's degree, about 38 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 38% of adults in South Burlington have never been married, above 91% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; South Burlington, VT sits in the top tenth 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 South Burlington looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. South Burlington 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 74%, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in South Burlington have completed high school, above 96% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Burlington, VT D+65
- Winooski, VT D+57
- Williston, VT D+22
- Shelburne, VT D+42
- Shelburne Falls, VT D+46
- Essex, VT D+24
- Colchester, VT D+12
- Hinesburg, VT D+20
- Charlotte, VT D+34
- Richmond, VT D+32
Cities with Similar Populations
- Pleasant Prairie, WI R+7
- Ottawa, IL R+11
- Susanville, CA R+33
- Hatboro, PA D+5
- Henderson, TX R+43
- Westlake Village, CA D+12
- South Euclid, OH D+64
- Scarborough, ME D+21
- White Oak, MD D+63
- Willow Spring, NC R+24
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Vermont Secretary of State, Elections Division, 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. VT did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the figures here come from extrapolation across demographic, health, and land-use features rather than local ground truth. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.