Thurston is a Democratic stronghold. About 83% of voters here vote Democratic and 17% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Thurston typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Thurston, ~64% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Thurston compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Thurston leans more Democratic than 3 of 9 neighbors.
Thurston runs about 68 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Thurston sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Thurston. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+68) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+24), a spread of about 44 points.
Why Thurston 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 Thurston, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 88% of adults in Thurston hold a bachelor's degree, about 60 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Thurston runs against the grain of Michigan, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a low uninsured rate tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Thurston, Ann Arbor, MI does.
Why turnout in Thurston looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Thurston 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 80%, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in Thurston have completed high school, above 96% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Logan, Ann Arbor, MI D+62
- King, Ann Arbor, MI D+58
- Northside Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI D+73
- Angells, Ann Arbor, MI D+69
- Burns Park, Ann Arbor, MI D+69
- Bach, Ann Arbor, MI D+72
- Wildwood, Ann Arbor, MI D+78
- Eberwhite, Ann Arbor, MI D+79
- Downtown Pittsfield, Ann Arbor, MI D+59
- Bryant Pattengill East, Ann Arbor, MI D+64
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Sherwood Forest, Jacksonville, FL D+78
- Mott Section, Garden City, NY D+4
- Phelps, Springfield, MO D+31
- Epes, Newport News, VA D+61
- Brookhaven, Norman, OK Even
- Fort Howard, Green Bay, WI D+12
- East Side, Pueblo, CO D+19
- Ralston Valley, Arvada, CO D+6
- Freestate-North Highlands, Shreveport, LA D+46
- 40th and A, Lincoln, NE D+28
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.