West Lafayette is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 64% of adults in West Lafayette typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in West Lafayette, ~14% vote Democratic, ~50% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How West Lafayette compares
Among cities within 25 miles, West Lafayette leans more Republican than 24 of 89 neighbors.
West Lafayette runs about 45 points more Republican than Ohio as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within West Lafayette. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+67) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+54), a spread of about 12 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.
West Lafayette votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 30%, about 6 points below the U.S. average of 36%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; West Lafayette, OH sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in West Lafayette looks the way it does
Turnout in West Lafayette sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Plainfield, OH R+63
- Coalport, OH R+62
- Bakersville, OH R+68
- Fresno, OH R+67
- Coshocton, OH R+45
- Newcomerstown, OH R+51
- Tyndall, OH R+65
- Birds Run, OH R+62
- Keene, OH R+67
- Booth, OH R+62
Cities with Similar Populations
- Rush City, MN R+36
- Middletown, RI D+17
- Russell, KY R+41
- New Lisbon, WI R+29
- Springfield, KY R+52
- Vienna, IN R+58
- Cle Elum, WA R+19
- Mansfield, PA R+33
- Lake Barrington, IL D+6
- Placitas, NM D+34
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.