South Orange, NJ Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in South Orange

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

South Orange is a Democratic stronghold. About 87% of voters here vote Democratic and 13% Republican.

 

About 72% of adults in South Orange typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Orange, ~63% vote Democratic, ~9% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How South Orange compares

Among cities within 25 miles, South Orange leans more Democratic than 262 of 266 neighbors.

South Orange runs about 68 points more Democratic than New Jersey as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within South Orange. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+81) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+65), a spread of about 16 points.

Why South Orange 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 Orange, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in South Orange live in densely developed areas, about 63 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and South Orange sits in the top quarter (about 76%, in the top fraction of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 39% of adults in South Orange have never been married, above 92% of cities.

Walkability and Democratic lean

Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; South Orange, NJ 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 Orange looks the way it does

Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. South Orange 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 75%, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in South Orange have completed high school, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New Jersey 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.