In this article, we will explore some of the most liberal cities in Michigan, where progressive ideas and inclusive attitudes flourish.
If you’re looking to move to Michigan and want to know where the majority of Michiganders lean left, you’ve come to the right place.
Specifically, we wanted to know which cities have the highest number of liberal voters in the Wolverine State.
To do so, we analyzed how the people in each city in Michigan with a population greater than 5,000 voted during the last presidential election. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted Democrat were named the most liberal cities in the state.
72.6% Democrat vote · #3 most liberal in Michigan
Located in
Washtenaw County, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census recorded its population to be 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
72.6% Democrat vote · #3 most liberal in Michigan
Located in
Washtenaw County, Michigan
Ypsilanti, commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan, perhaps best known as the home of Eastern Michigan University. As of the 2017 census, the city’s population was 21,018. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and east by Ypsilanti Township. Ypsilanti is located 6 miles east of Ann Arbor and about 18 miles west of the Detroit city limits.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
72.6% Democrat vote · #3 most liberal in Michigan
Located in
Washtenaw County, Michigan
Saline is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,810.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
72.6% Democrat vote · #3 most liberal in Michigan
Located in
Washtenaw County, Michigan
Milan is a city in Monroe and Washtenaw counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,836 at the 2010 census. About 60% of the city’s area and 75% of its residents are located on the Washtenaw County side adjacent to York Charter Township in Washtenaw County; while 40% percent of the city’s area and 25% of its residents are located on the Monroe County side adjacent to Milan Township.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
72.6% Democrat vote · #3 most liberal in Michigan
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
68.4% Democrat vote · #20 most liberal in Michigan
Located in
Wayne County, Michigan
Harper Woods is a suburban U.S. city located on the eastern border of Detroit, Michigan. The city is located in Wayne County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 14,236.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
68.4% Democrat vote · #20 most liberal in Michigan
Located in
Wayne County, Michigan
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
68.4% Democrat vote · #20 most liberal in Michigan
Located in
Wayne County, Michigan
Melvindale is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan and a Downriver suburb of Detroit. At the 2010 census, the city population was 10,715. Melvindale’s slogan is “The Little City with a Big Heart.”
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
68.4% Democrat vote · #20 most liberal in Michigan
Located in
Wayne County, Michigan
Riverview is a city in Wayne County, Michigan. The population was 12,486 at the time of the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
68.4% Democrat vote · #20 most liberal in Michigan
Located in
Wayne County, Michigan
Grosse Pointe Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 11,555 at the 2010 census. Bordering on Detroit with frontage on southern Lake Saint Clair, it is the westernmost of the noted Grosse Pointe suburbs, with the oldest overall housing stock of the five cities. Grosse Pointe Park is 6 miles east of downtown Detroit and thus is home to many who commute to the city on a daily basis. The area is often referred to simply as ‘GPP’ or “The Park”. Many locals call the area from Alter Road to Nottingham in between Jefferson Avenue and Mack Avenue the Cabbage Patch, due to how the duplex style houses are closer together than the rest of the city.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Michigan’s statewide median.
On the map
Mapping the liberal strongholds in Michigan
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the most liberal cities in Michigan for 2026
To find the most liberal places in Michigan, we used Saturday Night Science – the argument you’d make at a bar – to find the cities with the most liberals.
We started by making a list of every city in Michigan over 5,000 people based on the 2020-2024 American Community Survey. That left us with 153 cities and towns.
We then measured the voting record and MIT election data to determine which places lean the most leftward in their allegiances by:
- Percentage Of Votes For Democratic President In 2020
Because no voting data exists at the city level, we used county-level election results from the 2020 election. We assigned every city in a county the percentage of votes that went to the Democrats, effectively extending the county’s results to the city level. In cases where larger cities encompassed an entire county, the election outcomes accurately reflected the city’s political landscape.
The winner, Ann Arbor, is “The Most liberal City in Michigan For 2026”. The most conservative place in Michigan was Hillsdale.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the most liberal places to live in Michigan.
The full plate
Most Liberal Places In Michigan
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | % Liberal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Ann Arbor | 122,036 | 72.6% |
| 3 | Ypsilanti | 19,857 | 72.6% |
| 3 | Saline | 9,006 | 72.6% |
| 3 | Milan | 5,987 | 72.6% |
| 3 | Chelsea | 5,426 | 72.6% |
| 20 | Harper Woods | 15,116 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Woodhaven | 12,690 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Melvindale | 12,554 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Riverview | 12,186 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Grosse Pointe Park | 11,319 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Flat Rock | 10,340 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Plymouth | 9,214 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Grosse Pointe Woods | 16,094 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Ecorse | 9,064 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Highland Park | 8,628 | 68.4% |
| 20 | River Rouge | 7,008 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Northville | 6,069 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Grosse Pointe Farms | 9,904 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Wayne | 17,310 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Romulus | 24,831 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Wyandotte | 24,489 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Grosse Pointe | 5,541 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Inkster | 25,428 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Garden City | 26,739 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Hamtramck | 27,743 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Allen Park | 27,925 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Southgate | 29,366 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Lincoln Park | 39,257 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Dearborn Heights | 61,771 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Taylor | 62,081 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Westland | 83,633 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Livonia | 93,851 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Dearborn | 107,423 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Detroit | 638,530 | 68.4% |
| 20 | Trenton | 18,125 | 68.4% |
| 37 | East Lansing | 45,758 | 65.2% |
| 37 | Mason | 8,249 | 65.2% |
| 37 | Lansing | 113,023 | 65.2% |
| 39 | Kalamazoo | 73,076 | 58.4% |
| 39 | Portage | 49,259 | 58.4% |
| 53 | South Lyon | 11,950 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Holly | 5,964 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Huntington Woods | 6,328 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Milford | 6,487 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Walled Lake | 7,299 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Beverly Hills | 10,524 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Clawson | 11,374 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Farmington | 11,504 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Fenton | 11,906 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Rochester | 12,934 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Berkley | 15,149 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Wixom | 17,295 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Hazel Park | 14,963 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Birmingham | 21,763 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Troy | 87,898 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Farmington Hills | 83,515 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Ferndale | 19,190 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Southfield | 76,236 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Novi | 66,717 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Rochester Hills | 77,089 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Royal Oak | 57,950 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Oak Park | 29,318 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Madison Heights | 28,419 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Auburn Hills | 25,105 | 56.4% |
| 53 | Pontiac | 62,104 | 56.4% |
| 66 | Marquette | 21,325 | 54.6% |
| 66 | Ishpeming | 6,181 | 54.6% |
| 70 | Swartz Creek | 5,853 | 53.9% |
| 70 | Flint | 80,175 | 53.9% |
| 70 | Burton | 29,500 | 53.9% |
| 70 | Flushing | 8,284 | 53.9% |
| 70 | Grand Blanc | 7,987 | 53.9% |
| 70 | Davison | 5,076 | 53.9% |
| 77 | East Grand Rapids | 11,445 | 52.0% |
| 77 | Rockford | 6,218 | 52.0% |
| 77 | Grandville | 16,356 | 52.0% |
| 77 | Walker | 25,386 | 52.0% |
| 77 | Kentwood | 54,296 | 52.0% |
| 77 | Wyoming | 77,353 | 52.0% |
| 77 | Grand Rapids | 198,535 | 52.0% |
| 81 | Traverse City | 15,593 | 52.0% |
| 82 | Saginaw | 43,536 | 49.4% |
| 82 | Frankenmuth | 5,157 | 49.4% |
| 85 | Muskegon | 37,226 | 49.4% |
| 85 | Norton Shores | 25,041 | 49.4% |
| 85 | Muskegon Heights | 9,841 | 49.4% |
| 88 | Grand Ledge | 7,804 | 48.7% |
| 88 | Eaton Rapids | 5,183 | 48.7% |
| 88 | Charlotte | 9,277 | 48.7% |
| 90 | Mount Pleasant | 21,236 | 47.8% |
| 91 | St. Johns | 7,715 | 45.8% |
| 93 | Niles | 11,803 | 45.4% |
| 93 | Benton Harbor | 8,953 | 45.4% |
| 93 | St. Joseph | 7,986 | 45.4% |
| 100 | New Baltimore | 12,072 | 45.3% |
| 100 | Utica | 5,180 | 45.3% |
| 100 | Richmond | 5,855 | 45.3% |
| 100 | New Haven | 6,475 | 45.3% |
| 100 | Center Line | 8,463 | 45.3% |
| 100 | Fraser | 14,583 | 45.3% |
Source: county-level 2020 election results, U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 153 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summing Up The Liberal Snowflakes in Michigan
Well, there you have it, the places in Michigan that have the highest number of liberals per capita, with Ann Arbor ranking as the least conservative in the entire state.
The most liberal cities in Michigan are Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, Milan, Chelsea, Harper Woods, Woodhaven, Melvindale, Riverview, and Grosse Pointe Park.
If you’re curious, here are the least liberal cities in Michigan. Not sold on Michigan? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
