Forest Lake leans slightly Republican by roughly 6 points: about 47% of voters vote Democratic and 53% Republican.
About 91% of adults in Forest Lake typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Forest Lake, ~43% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~9% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Forest Lake compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Forest Lake leans more Republican than 47 of 96 neighbors.
Forest Lake runs about 11 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Forest Lake. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+15) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+3), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Forest Lake 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 Lake, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Forest Lake votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 55%, far above the Minnesota average of 23%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Forest Lake, MN 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 Forest Lake looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Forest Lake 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%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Wyoming, MN R+23
- Columbus, MN R+33
- Scandia, MN R+20
- Hugo, MN R+8
- Chisago City, MN R+21
- Centerville, MN R+7
- Lino Lakes, MN R+9
- Stacy, MN R+38
- Marine On St. Croix, MN D+14
- Lindstrom, MN R+24
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lackawanna, NY D+3
- North Ogden, UT R+28
- The Dalles, OR R+10
- Bayshore Gardens, FL R+8
- Hudson, MA D+15
- Blythe, CA D+6
- Waynesville, NC R+25
- Canyon Lake, TX R+48
- Bryn Mawr, PA D+40
- Palmer, AK R+28
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.