57049 leans heavily Republican by roughly 38 points: about 31% of voters vote Democratic and 69% Republican.
About 87% of adults in 57049 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 57049, ~27% vote Democratic, ~60% Republican, and ~13% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 57049 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 57049 leans more Republican than 10 of 19 neighbors.
57049 runs about 9 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 57049. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+50) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+31), a spread of about 19 points.
Why 57049 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 57049, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 86% of residents in 57049 drive to work alone, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; 57049, SD sits in the top tenth nationally 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 57049 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 57049 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in 57049 have completed high school, above 92% of zip codes. 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 South Dakota 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.