Yakima is a true toss-up. About 48% of voters here vote Democratic and 52% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Yakima typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Yakima, ~29% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Yakima compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Yakima leans more Republican than 4 of 19 neighbors.
Yakima runs about 22 points more Republican than Washington as a whole. Washington leans Democratic overall, while Yakima is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Yakima. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+20) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+28), a spread of about 49 points.
Why Yakima 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 Yakima, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Yakima votes against the grain of Washington. Washington leans Democratic overall, while Yakima runs about 22 points more Republican.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Yakima, WA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Yakima looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Yakima is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 42% of households in Yakima rent, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Union Gap, WA R+8
- Gleed, WA R+41
- Terrace Heights, WA R+23
- Selah, WA R+36
- Parker, WA R+8
- Cowiche, WA R+25
- Moxee, WA R+33
- Wapato, WA D+14
- Naches, WA R+39
- Tieton, WA R+26
Cities with Similar Populations
- West Jordan, UT R+7
- Bethlehem, PA D+16
- Saginaw, MI D+18
- Rialto, CA D+20
- Manchester, NH D+21
- Chico, CA D+15
- Gresham, OR D+15
- Keller, TX R+20
- Bellingham, WA D+49
- Palm Bay, FL R+10
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Washington 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.