Buffalo leans Republican by roughly 26 points: about 37% of voters vote Democratic and 63% Republican.
About 90% of adults in Buffalo typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Buffalo, ~33% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~11% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Buffalo compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Buffalo leans more Republican than 35 of 71 neighbors.
Buffalo runs about 30 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Buffalo is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Buffalo. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+42) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+19), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Buffalo 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, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Buffalo votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 46%, well above the Minnesota average of 23%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Buffalo runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Buffalo, MN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Buffalo looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Buffalo 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Rassat, MN R+45
- Monticello, MN R+28
- Montrose, MN R+39
- Maple Lake, MN R+37
- Rockford, MN R+26
- Waverly, MN R+41
- Hanover, MN R+25
- Greenfield, MN R+23
- Delano, MN R+27
- St. Michael, MN R+19
Cities with Similar Populations
- Hercules, CA D+46
- New River, AZ R+44
- East Peoria, IL R+23
- Temperance, MI R+27
- Abbeville, LA R+29
- Five Corners, WA Even
- Olivehurst, CA R+11
- South St. Paul, MN D+18
- Stanford, CA D+64
- East Hemet, CA R+12
All Local Stats
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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.