Yelm leans Republican by roughly 20 points: about 40% of voters vote Democratic and 60% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Yelm typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Yelm, ~32% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Yelm compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Yelm leans more Republican than 28 of 48 neighbors.
Yelm runs about 38 points more Republican than Washington as a whole. Washington leans Democratic overall, while Yelm is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Yelm. The south side is the most Republican-leaning (R+28) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+14), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Yelm 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 Yelm, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Yelm votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 37%, above 83% of cities). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Yelm runs against the grain of Washington, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Yelm, WA sits above the national average on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Yelm looks the way it does
Turnout in Yelm 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
- Rainier, WA R+26
- Roy, WA R+32
- Vail, WA R+34
- Mckenna, WA R+29
- Nisqually Indian Community, WA D+15
- Kellys Korner, WA R+5
- South Creek, WA R+29
- Fort Lewis, WA Even
- Eatonville, WA R+35
- Lacey, WA D+23
Cities with Similar Populations
- Garden City, NY R+16
- Kings Mountain, NC R+39
- Monsey, NY R+92
- South Portland, ME D+43
- Baldwin, NY D+40
- South Pasadena, CA D+52
- Watertown, WI R+22
- Mount Vernon, OH R+39
- Burlington, IA Even
- Waianae, HI D+6
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.