La Plata County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 86% of adults in La Plata County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in La Plata County, ~49% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~14% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How La Plata County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, La Plata County leans more Democratic than 3 of 5 neighbors.
Politically, La Plata County sits close to the rest of Colorado.
Politics vary noticeably by city within La Plata County. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+36) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+22), a spread of about 59 points.
Why La Plata 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 La Plata County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 49% of adults in La Plata County hold a bachelor's degree, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
High-school completion and voter turnout
Places with high-school-completion-heavy adults tend to turn out at a higher rate; La Plata County, CO sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in La Plata County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. La Plata 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 66%, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in La Plata County have completed high school, above 98% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- San Juan County, CO D+29
- Archuleta County, CO R+14
- Montezuma County, CO R+24
- San Juan County, NM R+26
- San Miguel County, CO D+35
- Hinsdale County, CO R+6
- Mineral County, CO R+5
- Ouray County, CO D+13
- Dolores County, CO R+45
- Montrose County, CO R+30
Counties with Similar Populations
- Tuolumne County, CA R+18
- Whiteside County, IL R+20
- Campbell County, VA R+37
- Eagle County, CO D+14
- Hancock County, ME D+5
- Lafayette County, MS R+16
- Taney County, MO R+50
- Pearl River County, MS R+60
- Lenoir County, NC Even
- Marion County, WV R+37
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Colorado 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.