Eau Claire County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Eau Claire County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Eau Claire County, ~46% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Eau Claire County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Eau Claire County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Eau Claire County runs about 11 points more Democratic than Wisconsin as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Eau Claire County. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+28) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+32), a spread of about 59 points.
Why Eau Claire 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 Eau Claire County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 36% of adults in Eau Claire County hold a bachelor's degree, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Eau Claire County sits in the top fifth on density (about 63%, above 87% of counties). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 37% of adults in Eau Claire County have never been married, above 89% of counties.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Eau Claire County, WI sits in the top quarter 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 Eau Claire County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Eau Claire 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 96% of adults in Eau Claire County have completed high school, above 96% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Chippewa County, WI R+24
- Dunn County, WI R+15
- Pepin County, WI R+30
- Buffalo County, WI R+32
- Trempealeau County, WI R+26
- Jackson County, WI R+21
- Clark County, WI R+43
- Rusk County, WI R+38
- Barron County, WI R+28
- Wabasha County, MN R+30
Counties with Similar Populations
- Tompkins County, NY D+49
- Monongalia County, WV D+4
- Sumter County, SC D+9
- Woodbury County, IA R+9
- Vigo County, IN R+12
- Walworth County, WI R+17
- Navajo County, AZ R+3
- Platte County, MO R+5
- Franklin County, MO R+48
- Carver County, MN R+8
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.