Melrose is a Republican stronghold. About 25% of voters here vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Melrose typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Melrose, ~16% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Melrose compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Melrose leans more Republican than 11 of 44 neighbors.
Melrose runs about 55 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Melrose is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Melrose. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+73) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+41), a spread of about 32 points.
Why Melrose 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 Melrose, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Melrose votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Melrose runs about 55 points more Republican. Dense places usually vote Democratic, but Melrose runs against that pattern.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Melrose, MN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Melrose looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Melrose 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Meire Grove, MN R+74
- New Munich, MN R+74
- Greenwald, MN R+73
- St. Rosa, MN R+72
- Ward Springs, MN R+56
- Freeport, MN R+71
- Sauk Centre, MN R+48
- Grey Eagle, MN R+54
- Elrosa, MN R+70
- Spring Hill, MN R+69
Cities with Similar Populations
- Trafalgar, IN R+57
- Onsted, MI R+33
- Harrington Park, NJ D+5
- Dillwyn, VA R+18
- Niota, TN R+71
- Michigan Center, MI R+24
- Blackstone, VA D+6
- Northvale, NJ R+9
- Grant-Valkaria, FL R+41
- Spencer, WV R+55
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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.