56551 leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 77% of adults in 56551 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 56551, ~21% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 56551 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 56551 leans more Republican than 3 of 8 neighbors.
56551 runs about 50 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while 56551 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 56551. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+51) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+40), a spread of about 11 points.
Why 56551 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 56551, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
56551 votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while 56551 runs about 50 points more Republican.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; 56551, MN sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in 56551 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 56551 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%. 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.