Fort Meade leans heavily Republican by roughly 50 points: about 25% of voters vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Fort Meade typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Fort Meade, ~17% vote Democratic, ~53% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Fort Meade compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Fort Meade leans more Republican than 11 of 30 neighbors.
Fort Meade runs about 20 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Fort Meade. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+83) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+41), a spread of about 42 points.
Why Fort Meade 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 Fort Meade, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Fort Meade votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 22%, modestly above the South Dakota average of 9%). 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; Fort Meade, SD 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 Fort Meade looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Fort Meade 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%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Sturgis, SD R+42
- Tilford, SD R+62
- Whitewood, SD R+53
- Galena, SD R+50
- Deadwood, SD R+49
- Bethlehem, SD R+61
- Piedmont, SD R+58
- Nemo, SD R+54
- Lead, SD R+33
- Central City, SD R+51
Cities with Similar Populations
- Akeley, MN R+31
- Sciota, PA R+27
- Pinetop Country Club, AZ R+23
- Wolf Creek, OR R+33
- North Salem, IN R+57
- Green Village, NJ D+5
- Legion, TX R+48
- Rutherford College, NC R+49
- Glandorf, OH R+61
- Hull, TX R+82
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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.