Alden leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 53% of adults in Alden typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Alden, ~15% vote Democratic, ~38% Republican, and ~47% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Alden compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Alden leans more Republican than 28 of 45 neighbors.
Alden runs about 47 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Alden is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Alden. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+48) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+36), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Alden leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Alden, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Alden votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Alden runs about 47 points more Republican. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 75% of households in Alden are family households, above 76% of cities.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Alden, MN sits below the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Alden looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Alden 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 66%, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Armstrong, MN R+43
- Conger, MN R+36
- Freeborn, MN R+48
- Manchester, MN R+43
- Walters, MN R+45
- Mansfield, MN R+35
- Albert Lea, MN R+11
- Wells, MN R+36
- Hartland, MN R+45
- Twin Lakes, MN R+37
Cities with Similar Populations
- Chenoweth, OR R+20
- Burke, TX R+72
- East Bristol, WI R+14
- New Bloomington, OH R+62
- Amber, OK R+72
- Craftsbury, VT R+13
- Chavies, KY R+67
- Finley, TN R+74
- Hoagland, OH R+70
- Washington, VA R+12
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.