Buffalo Lake is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 56% of adults in Buffalo Lake typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Buffalo Lake, ~12% vote Democratic, ~44% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Buffalo Lake compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Buffalo Lake leans more Republican than 25 of 30 neighbors.
Buffalo Lake runs about 61 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Buffalo Lake is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Buffalo Lake 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 Buffalo Lake, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Buffalo Lake votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Buffalo Lake runs about 61 points more Republican.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Buffalo Lake, MN sits below the national average on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Buffalo Lake looks the way it does
Turnout in Buffalo Lake sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Hector, MN R+54
- Stewart, MN R+61
- Lakeside, MN R+59
- Brownton, MN R+55
- Bird Island, MN R+57
- Cosmos, MN R+56
- Gibbon, MN R+55
- Fairfax, MN R+51
- Hutchinson, MN R+30
Cities with Similar Populations
- Holiday Hills, IL R+13
- Holiday Manor, FL R+22
- Helenville, WI R+40
- Plum Springs, KY R+30
- Mixon, TX R+84
- Stoutland, MO R+72
- Rocky Ridge, MD R+49
- Lyle, WA R+23
- Vega, TX R+72
- Westminster, VT D+22
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.