56226 leans heavily Republican by roughly 40 points: about 30% of voters vote Democratic and 70% Republican.
About 66% of adults in 56226 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 56226, ~20% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 56226 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 56226 leans more Republican than 2 of 4 neighbors.
56226 runs about 45 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while 56226 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why 56226 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 56226, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
56226 votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while 56226 runs about 45 points more Republican. Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Non-Hispanic white share in 56226 is about 94%, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 72%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 75% of households in 56226 are family households, above 79% of zip codes.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; 56226, MN sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in 56226 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 56226 is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 90% of households in 56226 own their home, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Minnesota 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.