Milwaukee County leans heavily Democratic by roughly 40 points: about 70% of voters vote Democratic and 30% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Milwaukee County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Milwaukee County, ~51% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Milwaukee County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Milwaukee County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Milwaukee County runs about 42 points more Democratic than Wisconsin as a whole. Wisconsin is roughly evenly split, and Milwaukee County sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Milwaukee County. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+76) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+4), a spread of about 72 points.
Why Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 96% of residents in Milwaukee County live in densely developed areas, about 59 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 47% of adults in Milwaukee County have never been married, above 98% of counties. Milwaukee County runs against the grain of Wisconsin, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Milwaukee County, WI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Milwaukee County looks the way it does
Turnout in Milwaukee County 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 Counties
- Waukesha County, WI R+14
- Ozaukee County, WI R+7
- Racine County, WI D+7
- Washington County, WI R+28
- Kenosha County, WI Even
- Walworth County, WI R+17
- Jefferson County, WI R+21
- Dodge County, WI R+30
- Sheboygan County, WI R+15
- Lake County, IL D+22
Counties with Similar Populations
- DuPage County, IL D+14
- Shelby County, TN D+40
- Erie County, NY D+15
- Bergen County, NJ D+5
- Gwinnett County, GA D+21
- Pierce County, WA D+12
- Pinellas County, FL R+3
- Prince George's County, MD D+71
- Kern County, CA R+12
- Denton County, TX R+7
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Wisconsin Elections Commission, 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.