Tacoma is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 61% of adults in Tacoma typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Tacoma, ~12% vote Democratic, ~49% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Tacoma compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Tacoma leans more Republican than 13 of 116 neighbors.
Tacoma runs about 68 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Tacoma is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Tacoma 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 Tacoma, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Tacoma votes against the grain of Virginia. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Tacoma runs about 68 points more Republican. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 78% of households in Tacoma are family households, above 84% of cities.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a high uninsured rate tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Tacoma, VA does.
Why turnout in Tacoma looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 28% of households in Tacoma rent, above 80% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 72% of adults in Tacoma have completed high school, below 97% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Coeburn, VA R+64
- Wise, VA R+55
- Toms Creek, VA R+65
- Norton, VA R+49
- Cranes Nest, VA R+65
- Stephens, VA R+69
- Stony, VA R+67
- Dungannon, VA R+68
- Round Top, VA R+67
- Carfax, VA R+67
Cities with Similar Populations
- Sadler, TN R+63
- Ruthsburg, MD R+39
- Gotham, WI R+25
- Salado, AR R+72
- Salamonia, IN R+68
- Copperton, UT R+33
- Mayo Junction, FL R+68
- Salkehatchie, SC Even
- Orianna, GA R+78
- Dee, OR D+3
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department 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.