Dane County leans heavily Democratic by roughly 48 points: about 74% of voters vote Democratic and 26% Republican.
About 86% of adults in Dane County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Dane County, ~64% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~14% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Dane County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Dane County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Dane County runs about 49 points more Democratic than Wisconsin as a whole. Wisconsin is roughly evenly split, and Dane County sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Dane County. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+60) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+23), a spread of about 37 points.
Why Dane 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 Dane County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 54% of adults in Dane County hold a bachelor's degree, about 26 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Dane County sits in the top fifth on density (about 70%, above 91% of counties). Dane County runs against the grain of Wisconsin, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Dane County, WI 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 Dane County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Dane 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Dane County have completed high school, above 97% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Columbia County, WI R+17
- Green County, WI R+11
- Jefferson County, WI R+21
- Rock County, WI Even
- Sauk County, WI R+20
- Iowa County, WI R+11
- Dodge County, WI R+30
- Lafayette County, WI R+31
- Marquette County, WI R+36
- Walworth County, WI R+17
Counties with Similar Populations
- Pasco County, FL R+24
- Volusia County, FL R+17
- Lancaster County, PA R+17
- Stanislaus County, CA R+8
- Ramsey County, MN D+43
- New Castle County, DE D+33
- Union County, NJ D+26
- Delaware County, PA D+27
- Bristol County, MA Even
- Guilford County, NC D+30
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Wisconsin Elections Commission, 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.