McKinley leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 76% of adults in McKinley typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in McKinley, ~22% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How McKinley compares
Among cities within 25 miles, McKinley leans more Republican than 10 of 21 neighbors.
McKinley runs about 41 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
Why McKinley 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 McKinley, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 4% of residents in McKinley live in densely developed areas, about 27 points below the Michigan average of 31%.
Never-married share, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine a low never-married share and a rural land-use pattern tend to turn out at a higher rate, as McKinley, MI does.
Why turnout in McKinley looks the way it does
Turnout in McKinley sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Curran, MI R+45
- Fairview, MI R+45
- Kneeland, MI R+45
- South Branch, MI R+43
- Mio, MI R+44
- Comins, MI R+48
- Glennie, MI R+43
- Kurtz, MI R+42
- Barton City, MI R+46
- Long Lake, MI R+36
Cities with Similar Populations
- Grand Summit, KS R+71
- Gunlock, KY R+74
- Hachita, NM R+40
- Hartford, WV R+63
- Fords Branch, KY R+59
- Kasson, PA R+56
- Jumbo, KY R+68
- Josephine, WV R+69
- Lakeshore, CA R+18
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.