Carlos leans heavily Republican by roughly 44 points: about 28% of voters vote Democratic and 72% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Carlos typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Carlos, ~22% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Carlos compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Carlos leans more Republican than 8 of 36 neighbors.
Carlos runs about 48 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Carlos is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Carlos. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+56) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+33), a spread of about 22 points.
Why Carlos 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 Carlos, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Carlos votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Carlos runs about 48 points more Republican.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with low food insecurity tend to turn out at a higher rate; Carlos, MN 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 Carlos looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Carlos 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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 91% of households in Carlos own their home, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Carlos have completed high school, above 84% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Miltona, MN R+49
- Nelson, MN R+52
- Alexandria, MN R+30
- Spruce Center, MN R+53
- Leaf Valley, MN R+49
- Garfield, MN R+39
- Osakis, MN R+48
- Parkers Prairie, MN R+49
- Rose City, MN R+56
- Forada, MN R+42
Cities with Similar Populations
- Dixon, KY R+62
- Landisville, NJ R+18
- Huttonsville, WV R+66
- Seeley Lake, MT R+33
- Pickett, OK R+60
- Senath, MO R+61
- Hilbert, WI R+44
- Shalersville, OH R+45
- Vergas, MN R+32
- East Washington, PA D+10
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.