Big Stone County leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Big Stone County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Big Stone County, ~23% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Big Stone County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Big Stone County leans more Republican than 1 of 9 neighbors.
Big Stone County runs about 37 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Big Stone County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Big Stone County. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+47) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+24), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Big Stone 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 Big Stone County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Big Stone County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Big Stone County runs about 37 points more Republican.
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 Big Stone County, MN does.
Why turnout in Big Stone County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Big Stone 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%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Big Stone County have completed high school, above 84% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Grant County, SD R+52
- Traverse County, MN R+42
- Stevens County, MN R+37
- Roberts County, SD R+19
- Lac qui Parle County, MN R+38
- Swift County, MN R+35
- Grant County, MN R+36
- Deuel County, SD R+54
- Codington County, SD R+42
- Chippewa County, MN R+36
Counties with Similar Populations
- Scott County, KS R+67
- Kingsbury County, SD R+50
- Pulaski County, IL R+26
- Wirt County, WV R+65
- Crosby County, TX R+50
- Carter County, MO R+71
- Sheridan County, NE R+68
- Lincoln County, ID R+63
- Polk County, NE R+62
- Warren County, GA D+15
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.