Midland County leans Republican by roughly 16 points: about 42% of voters vote Democratic and 58% Republican.
About 88% of adults in Midland County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Midland County, ~37% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~12% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Midland County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Midland County leans more Republican than 2 of 10 neighbors.
Midland County runs about 14 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Midland County. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+6) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+44), a spread of about 49 points.
Why Midland 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 Midland County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Midland County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 49%, well above the Michigan average of 31%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a low uninsured rate tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Midland County, MI does.
Why turnout in Midland County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Midland 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Midland County have completed high school, above 95% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Bay County, MI R+18
- Saginaw County, MI D+2
- Gladwin County, MI R+42
- Isabella County, MI R+3
- Gratiot County, MI R+28
- Clare County, MI R+40
- Arenac County, MI R+40
- Ogemaw County, MI R+40
- Tuscola County, MI R+42
- Shiawassee County, MI R+27
Counties with Similar Populations
- Barrow County, GA R+36
- Lee County, MS R+26
- Howard County, IN R+30
- Indiana County, PA R+34
- Rockingham County, VA R+40
- Coryell County, TX R+27
- Crawford County, PA R+39
- Monroe County, FL R+15
- Chemung County, NY R+14
- Orangeburg County, SC D+28
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.