Independence, MN Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Independence

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

Independence leans slightly Republican by roughly 14 points: about 43% of voters vote Democratic and 57% Republican.

 

About more than 99% of adults in Independence typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Independence, ~43% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~0% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Independence compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Independence leans more Republican than 54 of 91 neighbors.

Independence runs about 18 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Independence is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Independence. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+24) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+11), a spread of about 13 points.

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

Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 85% of households in Independence are family households, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 67%. Independence runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.

Food insecurity and voter turnout

Places with low food insecurity tend to turn out at a higher rate; Independence, MN sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.

Why turnout in Independence looks the way it does

Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Independence 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 92% of households in Independence own their home, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Independence have completed high school, above 94% of cities. 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 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.