Houston County leans Republican by roughly 20 points: about 40% of voters vote Democratic and 60% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Houston County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Houston County, ~32% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Houston County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Houston County leans more Republican than 4 of 12 neighbors.
Houston County runs about 25 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Houston County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Houston County. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+34) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+3), a spread of about 31 points.
Why Houston County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Houston County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Houston County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Houston County runs about 25 points more Republican.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a low uninsured rate tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Houston County, MN does.
Why turnout in Houston County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Houston County 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%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 83% of households in Houston County own their home, above 91% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 95% of adults in Houston County have completed high school, above 94% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- La Crosse County, WI D+8
- Winona County, MN R+8
- Vernon County, WI R+19
- Fillmore County, MN R+32
- Allamakee County, IA R+32
- Winneshiek County, IA R+13
- Trempealeau County, WI R+26
- Monroe County, WI R+28
- Crawford County, WI R+26
- Howard County, IA R+35
Counties with Similar Populations
- Tishomingo County, MS R+76
- Saluda County, SC R+34
- Paulding County, OH R+57
- Pike County, GA R+70
- Adair County, KY R+62
- Greene County, GA R+14
- McIntosh County, OK R+55
- Perry County, MO R+62
- Waseca County, MN R+32
- Humphreys County, TN R+60
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.