Forest City is a Republican stronghold. About 25% of voters here vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Forest City typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Forest City, ~16% vote Democratic, ~49% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Forest City compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Forest City leans more Republican than 4 of 12 neighbors.
Forest City runs about 22 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Forest City. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+49) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+71), a spread of about 121 points.
Why Forest City 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 Forest City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 2% of residents in Forest City live in densely developed areas, about 7 points below the South Dakota average of 9%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Forest City, SD sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Forest City looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Forest City 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 Forest City have completed high school, above 84% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Cattron, SD R+70
- Gettysburg, SD R+49
- North Riverside, SD R+74
- Fayette, SD R+75
- Owattonna, SD R+71
- Agar, SD R+68
- Promise, SD D+50
- La Plant, SD D+49
- South Forest City, SD R+19
Cities with Similar Populations
- Erwins, NY R+34
- Zalma, MO R+72
- Brian Head, UT R+57
- Pearson, AL R+74
- Kerr, MO R+61
- Halsell, AL D+34
- Home, KS R+62
- East Leon, NY R+55
- Woodstock, TN R+45
- Flowerdale, MS R+63
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Dakota 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.