Mountain Iron leans slightly Republican by roughly 14 points: about 43% of voters vote Democratic and 57% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Mountain Iron typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Mountain Iron, ~34% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Mountain Iron compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Mountain Iron leans more Republican than 12 of 38 neighbors.
Mountain Iron runs about 18 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Mountain Iron is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Mountain Iron. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+21) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+5), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Mountain Iron 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 Mountain Iron, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Mountain Iron votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 35%, modestly above the Minnesota average of 23%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Mountain Iron runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Mountain Iron, MN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Mountain Iron looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Mountain Iron 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
- Parkville, MN R+17
- Leonidas, MN R+11
- Virginia, MN Even
- Eveleth, MN R+5
- Iron Junction, MN R+19
- Genoa, MN R+18
- Iron, MN R+20
- Kinney, MN R+22
- Buhl, MN R+17
- McKinley, MN Even
Cities with Similar Populations
- Driggs, ID R+18
- Glenwood, MD D+10
- Castlewood, VA R+71
- Abernathy, TX R+56
- Watertown, FL R+20
- Pennellville, NY R+23
- Washburn, WI D+16
- Italy, TX R+57
- Tipton, CA R+7
- Newbury, MA D+25
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.