Sterling Heights leans Republican by roughly 20 points: about 40% of voters vote Democratic and 60% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Sterling Heights typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sterling Heights, ~31% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sterling Heights compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sterling Heights leans more Republican than 65 of 91 neighbors.
Sterling Heights runs about 18 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Sterling Heights. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+31) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+10), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Sterling Heights 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 Heights, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Sterling Heights votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 98%, far above the Michigan average of 31%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Sterling Heights, MI 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 Sterling Heights looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Sterling Heights 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Troy, MI D+7
- Fraser, MI R+10
- Clinton Township, MI Even
- Utica, MI R+22
- Warren, MI D+10
- Madison Heights, MI D+9
- Clawson, MI D+13
- Center Line, MI D+16
- Roseville, MI D+7
- Mount Clemens, MI D+13
Cities with Similar Populations
- Richardson, TX D+14
- Schenectady, NY D+22
- Berkeley, CA D+80
- Gainesville, GA R+25
- Rochester, MN D+20
- Abilene, TX R+30
- Hamilton, OH R+25
- Santa Clara, CA D+35
- Odessa, TX R+41
- Coral Springs, FL D+15
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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.