Black Hawk leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Black Hawk typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Black Hawk, ~21% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Black Hawk compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Black Hawk leans more Republican than 13 of 29 neighbors.
Black Hawk runs about 17 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Black Hawk. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+57) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+38), a spread of about 19 points.
Why Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 86% of residents in Black Hawk drive to work alone, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Black Hawk, SD sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Black Hawk looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Black Hawk 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Black Hawk have completed high school, above 94% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Summerset, SD R+46
- Piedmont, SD R+58
- Sulphur, SD R+35
- Bethlehem, SD R+61
- Johnson Siding, SD R+40
- Rapid City, SD R+22
- Nemo, SD R+54
- Ashland Heights, SD R+46
- Rapid Valley, SD R+39
- Ellsworth Afb, SD R+26
Cities with Similar Populations
- Waukon, IA R+29
- Nancy, KY R+66
- Seminary, MS R+81
- Homerville, GA R+45
- Foresthill, CA R+35
- Scottsville, VA R+21
- Cambridge Springs, PA R+33
- Hampton, IA R+34
- Clear Lake, MN R+43
- Shenandoah, VA R+56
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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.