Brown County leans heavily Republican by roughly 38 points: about 31% of voters vote Democratic and 69% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Brown County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Brown County, ~25% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Brown County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Brown County leans more Republican than 4 of 11 neighbors.
Brown County runs about 41 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Brown County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Brown County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+71) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+24), a spread of about 48 points.
Why Brown 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 Brown County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Brown County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Brown County runs about 41 points more Republican.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with low food insecurity tend to turn out at a higher rate; Brown County, MN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Brown County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Brown 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 66%, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Watonwan County, MN R+29
- Nicollet County, MN R+9
- Sibley County, MN R+48
- Blue Earth County, MN R+6
- Redwood County, MN R+47
- Renville County, MN R+49
- Cottonwood County, MN R+46
- McLeod County, MN R+40
- Martin County, MN R+38
- Le Sueur County, MN R+32
Counties with Similar Populations
- Lamoille County, VT D+7
- Dickinson County, MI R+25
- Simpson County, MS R+29
- McNairy County, TN R+71
- Sunflower County, MS D+35
- Montezuma County, CO R+24
- Hart County, GA R+47
- Franklin County, KS R+44
- Taylor County, KY R+50
- Russell County, VA R+68
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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.