University Park leans Democratic by roughly 26 points: about 63% of voters vote Democratic and 37% Republican.
About 67% of adults in University Park typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in University Park, ~42% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How University Park compares
Among cities within 25 miles, University Park leans more Democratic than 105 of 109 neighbors.
University Park runs about 28 points more Democratic than Pennsylvania as a whole. Pennsylvania is roughly evenly split, and University Park sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within University Park. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+61) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+25), a spread of about 36 points.
Why University Park 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 University Park, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 87% of adults in University Park hold a bachelor's degree, about 59 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and University Park sits in the top fifth on density (about 91%, above 97% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 96% of adults in University Park have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; University Park, PA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in University Park looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. University Park 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- State College, PA D+35
- Houserville, PA D+24
- Park Forest Village, PA D+44
- Lemont, PA D+25
- Boalsburg, PA D+21
- Pine Grove Mills, PA Even
- Dale Summit, PA D+32
- Coburn, PA R+46
- Pleasant Gap, PA D+28
- Linden Hall, PA D+16
Cities with Similar Populations
- Albion, IN R+53
- Newport, PA R+51
- Clever, MO R+67
- Lumberton, NM D+14
- Baden, PA R+13
- New Tripoli, PA R+34
- Tellico Plains, TN R+73
- Primera, TX R+9
- Boiling Spring Lakes, NC R+43
- Higginsville, MO R+43
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau 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.