St. Joseph is a true toss-up. About 51% of voters here vote Democratic and 49% Republican.
About 93% of adults in St. Joseph typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in St. Joseph, ~47% vote Democratic, ~45% Republican, and ~8% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How St. Joseph compares
Among cities within 25 miles, St. Joseph sits roughly in the middle of the political spectrum, with 45 neighbors leaning further in the place's direction and 10 leaning the other way.
Politically, St. Joseph sits close to the rest of Michigan.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within St. Joseph. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+18) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+16), a spread of about 34 points.
Why St. Joseph leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in St. Joseph. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; St. Joseph, MI 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 St. Joseph looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. St. Joseph 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 97% of adults in St. Joseph have completed high school, above 92% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Fair Plain, MI D+41
- Shoreham, MI D+4
- Stevensville, MI R+9
- Benton Harbor, MI D+42
- Benton Heights, MI D+55
- Sodus, MI R+29
- Buckhorn, MI R+18
- Pearl Grange, MI R+24
- Twelve Corners, MI R+13
- Shanghai Corners, MI R+40
Cities with Similar Populations
- Pittsboro, NC Even
- Broomall, PA R+6
- Washington, MO R+40
- Beaver Dam, WI R+13
- Neptune, NJ D+43
- Westborough, MA D+31
- Lake Placid, FL R+41
- Milford, MI R+15
- Dolton, IL D+82
- Walker, LA R+72
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.