Deer River leans Republican by roughly 24 points: about 38% of voters vote Democratic and 62% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Deer River typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Deer River, ~26% vote Democratic, ~43% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Deer River compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Deer River leans more Republican than 9 of 20 neighbors.
Deer River runs about 28 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Deer River is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Deer River. The south side is the most Republican-leaning (R+36) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+10), a spread of about 27 points.
Why Deer River 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 Deer River, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 4% of residents in Deer River live in densely developed areas, about 19 points below the Minnesota average of 23%. Deer River runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Developed land and Republican lean
Places with a rural land-use pattern tend to lean Republican; Deer River, MN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Developed land does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Deer River looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Deer River 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 59%, below 59% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Zemple, MN R+27
- Ball Club, MN R+25
- Inger, MN R+19
- Cohasset, MN R+29
- Marcell, MN R+13
- Talmoon, MN R+23
- Spring Lake, MN R+24
- Grand Rapids, MN R+16
- Bowstring, MN R+40
- Bena, MN Even
Cities with Similar Populations
- Jayess, MS R+62
- Bergen, NY R+34
- Gosport, IN R+52
- Buckhead, GA R+58
- Arlington, VT D+16
- Westfield, NC R+60
- Goodhue, MN R+45
- Mechanic Falls, ME R+34
- La Mesa, NM Even
- Estill, SC D+31
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.