Appleton leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 58% of adults in Appleton typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Appleton, ~19% vote Democratic, ~39% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Appleton compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Appleton leans more Republican than 7 of 23 neighbors.
Appleton runs about 37 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Appleton is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Appleton. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+45) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+23), a spread of about 22 points.
Why Appleton 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 Appleton, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Appleton votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 43%, well above the Minnesota average of 23%). Here an older population outweighs the Democratic lean that density usually predicts. Appleton runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Appleton, MN sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Appleton looks the way it does
Turnout in Appleton sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Holloway, MN R+44
- Correll, MN R+41
- Louisburg, MN R+34
- Milan, MN R+31
- Hagan, MN R+38
- Danvers, MN R+39
- Odessa, MN R+42
- Bellingham, MN R+58
- Madison, MN R+37
- Rosen, MN R+58
Cities with Similar Populations
- Stantonville, TN R+78
- Clio, SC D+29
- Vandalia, MI R+33
- Wausau, FL R+71
- Carson, VA R+28
- Sunset Beach, CA R+15
- Tonka Bay, MN D+16
- Lake Tomahawk, WI R+23
- High Falls, NY D+34
- Damon, TX R+66
All Local Stats
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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.