Alger County leans Republican by roughly 16 points: about 42% of voters vote Democratic and 58% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Alger County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Alger County, ~28% vote Democratic, ~39% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Alger County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Alger County leans more Republican than 1 of 3 neighbors.
Alger County runs about 15 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Alger County. The north side runs the most Democratic (Even) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+26), a spread of about 27 points.
Why Alger County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Alger County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Alger County live in densely developed areas, about 27 points below the Michigan average of 31%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Alger County, MI sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Alger County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Alger County 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 87% of households in Alger County own their home, above 98% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Schoolcraft County, MI R+28
- Marquette County, MI Even
- Delta County, MI R+22
- Luce County, MI R+32
- Dickinson County, MI R+25
- Florence County, WI R+41
- Menominee County, MI R+30
- Baraga County, MI R+14
- Iron County, MI R+24
- Mackinac County, MI R+19
Counties with Similar Populations
- Caldwell County, MO R+59
- Wilkinson County, GA R+22
- Livingston County, KY R+64
- Catahoula Parish, LA R+50
- Greene County, IA R+39
- Wilcox County, GA R+33
- Richmond County, VA R+33
- Monona County, IA R+46
- Quay County, NM R+32
- Dawson County, MT R+55
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.