Wood River leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% Republican. These figures are model estimates: Alaska did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the numbers above come from demographic and health features rather than local ground truth.
About 67% of adults in Wood River typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wood River, ~38% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wood River compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Wood River leans more Democratic than 1 of 4 neighbors.
Wood River runs about 25 points more Democratic than Alaska as a whole. Alaska leans Republican overall, while Wood River is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Wood River. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+27) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+11), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Wood River 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 Wood River, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 47% of adults in Wood River have never been married, modestly above similar-sized cities (around 38%). Wood River runs against the grain of Alaska, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Adult arthritis and voter turnout
Places with a low adult-arthritis rate tend to turn out at a higher rate; Wood River, AK sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Arthritis does not drive turnout; it reflects the age and health profile of an area.
Why turnout in Wood River looks the way it does
Turnout in Wood River 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
- Dillingham, AK D+11
- Aleknagik, AK D+27
- Manokotak, AK D+27
- Ekwok, AK D+27
- New Stuyahok, AK D+27
- Koliganek, AK D+27
- Twin Hills, AK D+27
Cities with Similar Populations
- McGaffey, NM R+28
- Midway, IL R+54
- Boone, MS Even
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Alaska Division 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. AK did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the figures here come from extrapolation across demographic, health, and land-use features rather than local ground truth. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.