Nobles County leans Republican by roughly 28 points: about 36% of voters vote Democratic and 64% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Nobles County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Nobles County, ~24% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Nobles County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Nobles County is the least Republican-leaning.
Nobles County runs about 33 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Nobles County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Nobles County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+70) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+10), a spread of about 60 points.
Why Nobles 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 Nobles County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Nobles County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 48%, well above the Minnesota average of 23%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Nobles County runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Non-English at home and voter turnout
Places with a low non-English-at-home share tend to turn out at a higher rate; Nobles County, MN sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Nobles County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Nobles County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Osceola County, IA R+57
- Murray County, MN R+54
- Jackson County, MN R+42
- Rock County, MN R+45
- Dickinson County, IA R+34
- Lyon County, IA R+65
- Cottonwood County, MN R+46
- O'Brien County, IA R+54
- Pipestone County, MN R+48
- Clay County, IA R+34
Counties with Similar Populations
- Bibb County, AL R+57
- Asotin County, WA R+29
- Leelanau County, MI Even
- Saunders County, NE R+46
- Meigs County, OH R+58
- Sumner County, KS R+50
- Waynesboro City, VA R+9
- Mahaska County, IA R+38
- Lee County, VA R+64
- Beckham County, OK R+67
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.