Nisland is a Republican stronghold. About 11% of voters here vote Democratic and 89% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Nisland typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Nisland, ~7% vote Democratic, ~58% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Nisland compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Nisland leans more Republican than 11 of 12 neighbors.
Nisland runs about 49 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Nisland. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+83) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+70), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Nisland 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 Nisland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 4% of residents in Nisland live in densely developed areas, about 6 points below the South Dakota average of 9%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 77% of households in Nisland are family households, above 83% of cities.
Developed land and Republican lean
Places with a rural land-use pattern tend to lean Republican; Nisland, SD sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Developed land does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Nisland looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 92% of households in Nisland own their home, about 15 points above the South Dakota average of 77%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Newell, SD R+75
- Fruitdale, SD R+72
- Vale, SD R+78
- St. Onge, SD R+57
- Belle Fourche, SD R+56
- Whitewood, SD R+53
- Spearfish, SD R+32
- Sturgis, SD R+42
- Fort Meade, SD R+49
- Deadwood, SD R+49
Cities with Similar Populations
- Kitty Fork, NC R+39
- Kiron, IA R+57
- Vadito, NM D+37
- Fox, AR R+60
- Starr, MD R+21
- Valley Brook, OK R+8
- Five Corners, PA R+61
- Stratton, ME R+27
- Green Pond, SC D+29
- Kingscreek, OH R+58
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Dakota 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.