Buffalo County leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Buffalo County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Buffalo County, ~27% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Buffalo County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Buffalo County is the most Republican-leaning.
Buffalo County runs about 31 points more Republican than Wisconsin as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Buffalo County. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+37) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+27), a spread of about 10 points.
Why Buffalo 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 Buffalo County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Buffalo County sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 94% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 7 points above the Wisconsin average of 87%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Buffalo County, WI sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Buffalo County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Buffalo 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%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Pepin County, WI R+30
- Trempealeau County, WI R+26
- Wabasha County, MN R+30
- Winona County, MN R+8
- Eau Claire County, WI D+10
- Dunn County, WI R+15
- Jackson County, WI R+21
- Olmsted County, MN D+12
- La Crosse County, WI D+8
- Goodhue County, MN R+22
Counties with Similar Populations
- Bamberg County, SC D+18
- Johnson County, IL R+41
- Moffat County, CO R+52
- Clay County, IL R+63
- Archuleta County, CO R+14
- Osage County, MO R+70
- Hughes County, OK R+53
- Calhoun County, MS R+39
- Amelia County, VA R+40
- Monroe County, OH R+63
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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.