Willoughby Hills leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Willoughby Hills typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Willoughby Hills, ~45% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Willoughby Hills compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Willoughby Hills leans more Democratic than 72 of 102 neighbors.
Willoughby Hills runs about 25 points more Democratic than Ohio as a whole. Ohio leans Republican overall, while Willoughby Hills is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Willoughby Hills. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+48) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+17), a spread of about 64 points.
Why Willoughby Hills 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 Willoughby Hills, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 76% of residents in Willoughby Hills live in densely developed areas, about 40 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Willoughby Hills sits in the top quarter (about 42%, above 89% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in Willoughby Hills have never been married, above 89% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Willoughby Hills, OH sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Willoughby Hills looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Willoughby Hills 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Wickliffe, OH R+4
- Highland Heights, OH Even
- Willowick, OH R+5
- Mayfield, OH Even
- Richmond Heights, OH D+64
- Waite Hill, OH R+19
- Euclid, OH D+63
- Gates Mills, OH D+3
- Willoughby, OH Even
- Mayfield Heights, OH D+21
Cities with Similar Populations
- South Yarmouth, MA D+19
- Golden Valley, AZ R+53
- St. Stephens, NC R+28
- Middlesex, NC R+31
- Maryville, IL R+10
- Groton, MA D+23
- Fort Salonga, NY R+16
- Springfield, FL R+18
- Peculiar, MO R+40
- Elmendorf, TX R+15
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.