Lake County leans slightly Republican by roughly 6 points: about 47% of voters vote Democratic and 53% Republican.
About 86% of adults in Lake County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lake County, ~40% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~14% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lake County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Lake County is the most Republican-leaning.
Lake County runs about 10 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Lake County. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+10) and the west side runs the most Republican (R+21), a spread of about 31 points.
Why Lake County leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Lake County. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Lake County, MN sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Lake County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Lake 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 84% of households in Lake County own their home, above 93% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 95% of adults in Lake County have completed high school, above 89% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- St. Louis County, MN D+12
- Douglas County, WI Even
- Bayfield County, WI D+6
- Carlton County, MN R+12
- Ashland County, WI Even
- Cook County, MN D+32
- Sawyer County, WI R+11
- Iron County, WI R+27
- Gogebic County, MI R+14
- Itasca County, MN R+22
Counties with Similar Populations
- Lancaster County, VA R+9
- St. Helena Parish, LA D+7
- Alleghany County, NC R+58
- Washita County, OK R+74
- Noble County, OK R+54
- Lincoln County, WA R+54
- Early County, GA R+6
- Barnes County, ND R+36
- Box Butte County, NE R+55
- Louisa County, IA R+37
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.