Population migration patterns that affect CRE demand for housing, retail and logistics services may also influence the voting patterns of states. A recent analysis by Realtor.com of geographic home shopping trends paired with 2020 county-level election results could provide useful insights for the CRE industry.

Beginning more than 20 years ago, the terms "red state" and "blue state" have referred to US states whose voters vote predominately for one party – the Republican Party in red states and the Democratic Party in blue states.

The Realtor.com analysis determines the likelihood of each online home shopping view to be associated with a blue, red or independent voter by assuming that the political affiliations of online home shoppers mirror the voter distribution in their respective counties. For example, If 60% of voters in a particular county were Democrats, Realtor.com estimated that the same percentage of online traffic in that county comes from blue shoppers.