South West is a Democratic stronghold. About 88% of voters here vote Democratic and 12% Republican.
About 68% of adults in South West typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South West, ~60% vote Democratic, ~8% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South West compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, South West leans more Democratic than 27 of 52 neighbors.
South West runs about 8 points more Republican than the District of Columbia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within South West. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+81) and the north side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+33), a spread of about 48 points.
Why South West 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 West, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 74% of adults in South West hold a bachelor's degree, about 46 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 64% of adults in South West have never been married, above 96% of neighborhoods.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; South West, Washington, DC sits in the top quarter 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 West looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. South West 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Capitol Hill, Washington, DC D+77
- Downtown, Washington, DC D+71
- Lincoln Park, Washington, DC D+84
- Stanton Park, Washington, DC D+84
- Mt Vernon Square, Washington, DC D+74
- Hill East, Washington, DC D+80
- Fairlawn, Washington, DC D+86
- Shaw, Washington, DC D+84
- Crystal City, Arlington, VA D+59
- Logan Circle, Washington, DC D+77
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Pacific Heights, San Francisco, CA D+69
- North Collinwood, Cleveland, OH D+71
- Oleander Sunset, Bakersfield, CA D+17
- West Boulevard, Cleveland, OH D+30
- Downtown Houston, Houston, TX D+49
- Business District, Irvine, CA D+16
- Whitmer-Trilby, Toledo, OH D+2
- Roland Park-Homewood-Guilford, Baltimore, MD D+67
- Chisholm Creek, Wichita, KS D+9
- Lower Vailsburg, Newark, NJ D+72
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from District of Columbia 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.