Sterling Forest leans Republican by roughly 18 points: about 41% of voters vote Democratic and 59% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Sterling Forest typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sterling Forest, ~26% vote Democratic, ~38% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sterling Forest compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sterling Forest leans more Republican than 151 of 213 neighbors.
Sterling Forest runs about 31 points more Republican than New York as a whole. New York leans Democratic overall, while Sterling Forest is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Sterling Forest 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 Sterling Forest, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Sterling Forest votes against the grain of New York. New York leans Democratic overall, while Sterling Forest runs about 31 points more Republican. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 75% of households in Sterling Forest are family households, above 76% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Sterling Forest, NY sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Sterling Forest looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Sterling Forest 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 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 95% of households in Sterling Forest own their home, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Sterling Forest have completed high school, above 96% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Greenwood Lake, NY R+13
- Hewitt, NJ R+22
- Upper Greenwood Lake, NJ R+21
- Tuxedo Park, NY Even
- Warwick, NY R+10
- Wisner, NY R+19
- Sloatsburg, NY R+12
- Southfields, NY R+3
- Sugar Loaf, NY R+7
- Highland Lakes, NJ R+23
Cities with Similar Populations
- Petersburg, IA R+53
- Fellows, CA R+80
- Parks Crossroads, NC R+54
- Swainton, NJ R+26
- Pumpkintown, TN R+71
- Wishram, WA R+39
- Coventryville, NY R+39
- Rabbit Hill, GA R+40
- Lockville, OH R+27
- Gillespie, VA R+69
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New York 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.