West Lafayette, IN Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in West Lafayette

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

West Lafayette leans Democratic by roughly 28 points: about 64% of voters vote Democratic and 36% Republican.

 

About 51% of adults in West Lafayette typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in West Lafayette, ~33% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~49% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How West Lafayette compares

Among cities within 25 miles, West Lafayette is the most Democratic-leaning.

West Lafayette runs about 46 points more Democratic than Indiana as a whole. Indiana leans Republican overall, while West Lafayette is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within West Lafayette. The southeast side runs the most Democratic (D+47) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+5), a spread of about 52 points.

Why West Lafayette 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 West Lafayette, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. About 73% of residents in West Lafayette live in densely developed areas, about 37 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and West Lafayette sits in the top quarter (about 62%, above 97% of cities). West Lafayette runs against the grain of Indiana, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.

Population density and Democratic lean

Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; West Lafayette, IN sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.

Why turnout in West Lafayette looks the way it does

Renters vote less often than owners. About 56% of households in West Lafayette rent, about 31 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 20% of adults in West Lafayette report food insecurity, above 80% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Indiana 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.