St. Louis leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% Republican.
About 73% of adults in the St. Louis area typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in the St. Louis area, ~39% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How St. Louis compares
Among cities within 25 miles, St. Louis leans more Democratic than 85 of 177 neighbors.
St. Louis runs about 17 points more Democratic than Missouri as a whole. Missouri leans Republican overall, while St. Louis is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within St. Louis. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+44) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+29), a spread of about 73 points.
Why St. Louis 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 St. Louis, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 74% of residents in the St. Louis area live in densely developed areas, about 38 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and St. Louis sits in the top quarter (about 38%, above 86% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 33% of adults in the St. Louis area have never been married, above 83% of cities.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; St. Louis, MO sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in St. Louis looks the way it does
Turnout in the St. Louis area sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Maplewood, MO D+57
- Richmond Heights, MO D+50
- Clayton, MO D+60
- Wellston, MO D+83
- Shrewsbury, MO D+32
- University City, MO D+69
- Brentwood, MO D+31
- Pagedale, MO D+82
- Hillsdale, MO D+85
- Uplands Park, MO D+86
Cities with Similar Populations
- Baltimore, MD D+29
- Brooklyn, NY D+34
- Denver, CO D+23
- Orlando, FL D+3
- Charlotte, NC D+4
- Portland, OR D+25
- San Antonio, TX D+4
- Tampa, FL R+6
- Pittsburgh, PA R+2
- Queens, NY D+23
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Missouri 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.