Highland leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Highland typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Highland, ~24% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Highland compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Highland leans more Republican than 15 of 16 neighbors.
Highland runs about 17 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Highland is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Highland. The northwest side is the most split-leaning (R+21) and the southwest side is the least split-leaning (Even), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Highland 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 Highland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Highland, about 97% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 13 points below the Minnesota average of 28%. Highland runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Highland, MN sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Highland looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Highland 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
- Whyte, MN R+7
- Wales, MN R+12
- Brimson, MN Even
- Waldo, MN R+14
- Fairbanks, MN R+5
- Two Harbors, MN R+3
- Larsmont, MN R+9
- East Beaver Bay, MN R+8
- Toimi, MN R+9
- Knife River, MN R+8
Cities with Similar Populations
- Gann Valley, SD D+11
- Studley, KS R+83
- William, WV R+44
- Hare Valley, VA D+13
All Local Stats
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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.