Sunset leans heavily Democratic by roughly 44 points: about 72% of voters vote Democratic and 28% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Sunset typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sunset, ~55% vote Democratic, ~21% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sunset compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Sunset leans more Democratic than 14 of 15 neighbors.
Sunset runs about 80 points more Democratic than Idaho as a whole. Idaho leans Republican overall, while Sunset is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Why Sunset leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Sunset, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Sunset live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Sunset sits in the top quarter (about 64%, above 85% of neighborhoods). Sunset runs against the grain of Idaho, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Sunset, Boise, ID 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 Sunset looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Sunset 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 74%, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Veterans Park, Boise, ID D+29
- North End, Boise, ID D+57
- Collister, Boise, ID D+21
- Highlands, Boise, ID D+20
- Downtown, Boise, ID D+37
- Winstead Park, Boise, ID D+20
- West Bench, Boise, ID D+4
- Depot Bench, Boise, ID D+35
- Central Bench, Boise, ID D+21
- East End, Boise, ID D+33
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Wester, Lubbock, TX R+11
- Scioto Trace, Columbus, OH D+19
- Bayview Heights, Proctor, MN D+6
- Downtown Fostoria, Fostoria, OH R+15
- Panama Park, Jacksonville, FL D+41
- Maumee Uptown Historic District, Maumee, OH D+4
- Laurelwood, Albuquerque, NM D+18
- Edison, San Antonio, TX D+35
- Laddie Place and North Wilson, San Antonio, TX D+30
- Sunnyheights, Pueblo, CO D+5
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Idaho 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.