Highland is a Democratic stronghold. About 80% of voters here vote Democratic and 20% Republican.
About 84% of adults in Highland typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Highland, ~67% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Highland compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Highland leans more Democratic than 3 of 29 neighbors.
Highland runs about 55 points more Democratic than Minnesota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Highland. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+67) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+54), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Highland leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood 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 high college attainment vote Democratic. About 62% of adults in Highland hold a bachelor's degree, about 34 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Highland, St. Paul, MN 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 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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Macalester-Groveland, St. Paul, MN D+68
- Hiawatha, Minneapolis, MN D+68
- Merrlam Park, St. Paul, MN D+65
- Summit Hill, St. Paul, MN D+71
- West 7th, St. Paul, MN D+59
- Keewaydin, Minneapolis, MN D+65
- Ericsson, Minneapolis, MN D+69
- Howe, Minneapolis, MN D+68
- Wenonah, Minneapolis, MN D+61
- Cooper, Minneapolis, MN D+76
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- UC Irvine, Irvine, CA D+70
- Springfield Gardens, Queens, NY D+78
- Northwest Austin, Austin, TX D+25
- Shadow Creek Ranch, Pearland, TX D+33
- Metro West, Orlando, FL D+20
- Clifton, Staten Island, NY D+33
- Cooper Mountain-Aloha North, Aloha, OR D+29
- Point Breeze-Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA D+73
- Logan-Ogontz-Fern Rock, Philadelphia, PA D+85
- Back Bay, Boston, MA D+62
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.