Emmet County leans heavily Republican by roughly 38 points: about 31% of voters vote Democratic and 69% Republican.
About 97% of adults in Emmet County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Emmet County, ~30% vote Democratic, ~67% Republican, and ~3% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Emmet County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Emmet County leans more Republican than 4 of 12 neighbors.
Emmet County runs about 24 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Emmet County. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+52) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+31), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Emmet 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 Emmet County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 16% of adults in Emmet County hold a bachelor's degree, about 8 points below the Iowa average of 24%.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Emmet County, IA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Emmet County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Emmet 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 65%, above 76% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Dickinson County, IA R+34
- Palo Alto County, IA R+44
- Martin County, MN R+38
- Jackson County, MN R+42
- Clay County, IA R+34
- Kossuth County, IA R+45
- Cottonwood County, MN R+46
- Watonwan County, MN R+29
- Faribault County, MN R+38
- Pocahontas County, IA R+48
Counties with Similar Populations
- Clear Creek County, CO D+21
- Charles Mix County, SD R+39
- Beaverhead County, MT R+42
- Deer Lodge County, MT R+18
- Pipestone County, MN R+48
- Rice County, KS R+54
- Hamilton County, NE R+61
- Latimer County, OK R+66
- Nowata County, OK R+61
- Todd County, SD D+57
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Iowa 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.