Augustana leans Democratic by roughly 18 points: about 59% of voters vote Democratic and 41% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Augustana typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Augustana, ~35% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Augustana compares
Augustana sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable neighborhoods nearby.
Augustana runs about 47 points more Democratic than South Dakota as a whole. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Augustana is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Augustana. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+25) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+6), a spread of about 19 points.
Why Augustana leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Augustana, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Augustana live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 47% of adults in Augustana have never been married, above 77% of neighborhoods. Augustana runs against the grain of South Dakota, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Developed land and Democratic lean
Places with a heavily developed built environment tend to lean Democratic; Augustana, Sioux Falls, SD sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Developed land does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Augustana looks the way it does
Turnout in Augustana 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 Neighborhoods
- Whittier, Sioux Falls, SD D+10
- Silver Valley Addition, Sioux Falls, SD R+12
- North Central Omaha, Omaha, NE D+24
- Northwest Omaha, Omaha, NE D+10
- North Omaha, Omaha, NE D+41
- Keystone, Omaha, NE D+12
- Miller Park Minne Lusa Area, Omaha, NE D+63
- Benson, Omaha, NE D+41
- East Omaha, Omaha, NE D+22
- West Omaha, Omaha, NE D+3
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Southwest, West Palm Beach, FL Even
- Arlington Park, Fort Wayne, IN R+19
- Disaster City, College Station, TX D+24
- Highland Farms, Baytown, TX R+6
- Donaldson Run, Arlington, VA D+57
- Signature Lakes, Horizon West, FL R+6
- Factoria, Bellevue, WA D+40
- Houghton, Tucson, AZ D+11
- 4th Ward, Portsmouth, OH R+25
- Amaryllis Park, Sarasota, FL D+63
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.