Burleigh County leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Burleigh County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Burleigh County, ~26% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Burleigh County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Burleigh County leans more Republican than 1 of 5 neighbors.
Burleigh County runs about 4 points more Democratic than North Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Burleigh County. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+68) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+21), a spread of about 47 points.
Why Burleigh 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 Burleigh County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Burleigh County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 67%, far above the North Dakota average of 12%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with low food insecurity tend to turn out at a higher rate; Burleigh County, ND sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Burleigh County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Burleigh 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 95% of adults in Burleigh County have completed high school, above 92% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Morton County, ND R+49
- Oliver County, ND R+67
- Sioux County, ND D+54
- Kidder County, ND R+61
- Emmons County, ND R+70
- McLean County, ND R+51
- Grant County, ND R+71
- Mercer County, ND R+65
- Sheridan County, ND R+69
- Logan County, ND R+75
Counties with Similar Populations
- Sevier County, TN R+58
- Story County, IA D+14
- Floyd County, GA R+37
- Madison County, TN R+2
- Portsmouth City, VA D+41
- Grant County, WA R+34
- Putnam County, NY R+13
- Dubuque County, IA R+12
- Marshall County, AL R+64
- Ashtabula County, OH R+32
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North 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.