Burnsville leans Democratic by roughly 24 points: about 62% of voters vote Democratic and 38% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Burnsville typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Burnsville, ~48% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Burnsville compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Burnsville leans more Democratic than 74 of 106 neighbors.
Burnsville runs about 19 points more Democratic than Minnesota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Burnsville. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+29) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+18), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Burnsville 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 Burnsville, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 92% of residents in Burnsville live in densely developed areas, about 56 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Burnsville sits in the top quarter (about 39%, above 86% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 35% of adults in Burnsville have never been married, above 87% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Burnsville, MN sits in the top tenth 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 Burnsville looks the way it does
Turnout in Burnsville 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
- Apple Valley, MN D+18
- Savage, MN D+10
- Bloomington, MN D+32
- Lakeville, MN Even
- Eagan, MN D+23
- Rosemount, MN D+6
- Richfield, MN D+41
- Prior Lake, MN R+8
- Farmington, MN R+11
- Edina, MN D+38
Cities with Similar Populations
- Wylie, TX R+12
- West Bloomfield, MI D+14
- La Habra, CA D+5
- Jefferson City, MO R+23
- Martinsburg, WV R+24
- State College, PA D+35
- Niagara Falls, NY D+10
- Laguna Niguel, CA Even
- Mechanicsville, VA R+22
- Belleville, IL D+19
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.