Benson County is a true toss-up. About 51% of voters here vote Democratic and 49% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Benson County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Benson County, ~31% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Benson County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Benson County sits roughly in the middle of the political spectrum, with 7 neighbors leaning further in the place's direction and 0 leaning the other way.
Benson County runs about 39 points more Democratic than North Dakota as a whole. North Dakota leans Republican overall, while Benson County sits closer to the political middle.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Benson County. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+32) and the north side runs the most Republican (R+46), a spread of about 78 points.
Why Benson 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 Benson County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Benson County votes against the grain of North Dakota. North Dakota leans Republican overall, while Benson County runs about 39 points more Democratic.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Benson County, ND sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Benson County looks the way it does
Areas with high food insecurity turn out at lower rates. About 26% of adults in Benson County report food insecurity, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 16%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Benson County sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Ramsey County, ND R+30
- Eddy County, ND R+46
- Wells County, ND R+58
- Towner County, ND R+45
- Foster County, ND R+50
- Pierce County, ND R+47
- Nelson County, ND R+43
- Griggs County, ND R+52
- Cavalier County, ND R+48
- Sheridan County, ND R+69
Counties with Similar Populations
- Ohio County, IN R+58
- Sullivan County, MO R+56
- Miller County, GA R+44
- Sherman County, KS R+66
- Crowley County, CO R+47
- Essex County, VT R+31
- Greenwood County, KS R+61
- Pondera County, MT R+35
- Taylor County, IA R+50
- Chouteau County, MT R+24
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North 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.