West Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in West Oakland

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

West Oakland is a Democratic stronghold. About 85% of voters here vote Democratic and 15% Republican.

 

About 57% of adults in West Oakland typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in West Oakland, ~48% vote Democratic, ~9% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How West Oakland compares

Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, West Oakland leans more Democratic than 29 of 38 neighbors.

West Oakland runs about 71 points more Democratic than Pennsylvania as a whole. Pennsylvania is roughly evenly split, and West Oakland sits clearly on the Democratic side.

Politics vary noticeably by block within West Oakland. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+83) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+59), a spread of about 24 points.

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

Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in West Oakland live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 83% of adults in West Oakland have never been married, in the top fraction of neighborhoods. West Oakland runs against the grain of Pennsylvania, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.

Paved land cover and Democratic lean

Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; West Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.

Why turnout in West Oakland looks the way it does

Renters vote less often than owners. About 74% of households in West Oakland rent, about 49 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and West Oakland sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and West Oakland sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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.