Bayfield County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Bayfield County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bayfield County, ~40% vote Democratic, ~35% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bayfield County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Bayfield County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Bayfield County runs about 7 points more Democratic than Wisconsin as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Bayfield County. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+38) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+25), a spread of about 62 points.
Why Bayfield 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 Bayfield County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 34% of adults in Bayfield County hold a bachelor's degree, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a rural land-use pattern tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Bayfield County, WI does.
Why turnout in Bayfield County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Bayfield 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 83% of households in Bayfield County own their home, above 91% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Bayfield County have completed high school, above 96% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Ashland County, WI Even
- Douglas County, WI Even
- Lake County, MN R+5
- Sawyer County, WI R+11
- Iron County, WI R+27
- Gogebic County, MI R+14
- Washburn County, WI R+31
- St. Louis County, MN D+12
- Carlton County, MN R+12
- Price County, WI R+36
Counties with Similar Populations
- Lawrence County, AR R+65
- Wayne County, TN R+71
- Dade County, GA R+64
- Wayne County, IL R+65
- Long County, GA R+26
- Parke County, IN R+59
- Union County, FL R+61
- Lawrence County, KY R+67
- Brooks County, GA R+23
- Hill County, MT R+23
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Wisconsin Elections Commission, 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.