Fort Thompson, SD Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Fort Thompson

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Fort Thompson leans Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.

 

About 52% of adults in Fort Thompson typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Fort Thompson, ~33% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~49% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Fort Thompson compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Fort Thompson leans more Democratic than 13 of 14 neighbors.

Fort Thompson runs about 59 points more Democratic than South Dakota as a whole. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Fort Thompson is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Fort Thompson. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+73) and the west side is the least Democratic-leaning (Even), a spread of about 72 points.

Why Fort Thompson 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 Thompson, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Fort Thompson votes against the grain of South Dakota. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Fort Thompson runs about 59 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 60% of adults in Fort Thompson have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.

Preventive-care access and voter turnout

Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Fort Thompson, SD sits in the bottom tenth 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 Fort Thompson looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Fort Thompson is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 46%, about 20 points below the South Dakota average of 66%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 49% of households in Fort Thompson rent, compared to around 32% in nearby cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Fort Thompson sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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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.