St. Matthews leans Democratic by roughly 28 points: about 64% of voters vote Democratic and 36% Republican.
About 75% of adults in St. Matthews typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in St. Matthews, ~48% vote Democratic, ~27% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How St. Matthews compares
Among cities within 25 miles, St. Matthews leans more Democratic than 104 of 112 neighbors.
St. Matthews runs about 58 points more Democratic than Kentucky as a whole. Kentucky leans Republican overall, while St. Matthews is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within St. Matthews. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+40) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+17), a spread of about 23 points.
Why St. Matthews 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. Matthews, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in St. Matthews live in densely developed areas, about 63 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and St. Matthews sits in the top quarter (about 60%, above 97% of cities). St. Matthews runs against the grain of Kentucky, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; St. Matthews, KY 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 St. Matthews looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. St. Matthews 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in St. Matthews have completed high school, above 85% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Richlawn, KY D+23
- Beechwood Village, KY D+18
- Woodlawn Park, KY D+16
- Windy Hills, KY D+21
- Norwood, KY D+18
- Meadowview Estates, KY D+30
- Graymoor-Devondale, KY D+22
- St. Regis Park, KY D+5
- Rolling Fields, KY D+4
- Indian Hills, KY D+3
Cities with Similar Populations
- Othello, WA R+27
- Woodcrest, CA R+17
- Conshohocken, PA D+26
- Wolf Trap, VA D+36
- Bluffdale, UT R+40
- Watkinsville, GA R+41
- Troutdale, OR D+11
- Paris, TN R+44
- North Potomac, MD D+46
- New Richmond, WI R+23
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky State 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.