Hughes County leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Hughes County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Hughes County, ~25% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Hughes County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Hughes County leans more Republican than 1 of 5 neighbors.
Hughes County runs about 5 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Hughes County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+57) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+24), a spread of about 33 points.
Why Hughes 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 Hughes County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Hughes County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 49%, far above the South Dakota average of 9%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
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 Hughes County, SD does.
Why turnout in Hughes County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Hughes 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%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Hughes County have completed high school, in the top fraction of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Stanley County, SD R+49
- Sully County, SD R+62
- Jones County, SD R+72
- Lyman County, SD R+5
- Hyde County, SD R+60
- Potter County, SD R+62
- Buffalo County, SD D+24
- Mellette County, SD R+25
- Dewey County, SD D+30
- Haakon County, SD R+71
Counties with Similar Populations
- San Juan County, WA D+50
- Eastland County, TX R+67
- Avery County, NC R+52
- King William County, VA R+38
- Winston County, MS R+10
- Dickinson County, IA R+34
- Gilchrist County, FL R+68
- Haywood County, TN D+13
- Young County, TX R+66
- Burleson County, TX R+53
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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.