Olmsted County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Olmsted County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Olmsted County, ~47% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Olmsted County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Olmsted County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Olmsted County runs about 8 points more Democratic than Minnesota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Olmsted County. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+22) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+16), a spread of about 38 points.
Why Olmsted 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 Olmsted County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 49% of adults in Olmsted County hold a bachelor's degree, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Olmsted County sits in the top fifth on density (about 65%, above 88% of counties).
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Olmsted County, MN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Olmsted County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Olmsted 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 95% of adults in Olmsted County have completed high school, above 91% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Dodge County, MN R+31
- Wabasha County, MN R+30
- Fillmore County, MN R+32
- Goodhue County, MN R+22
- Mower County, MN R+13
- Steele County, MN R+22
- Winona County, MN R+8
- Buffalo County, WI R+32
- Rice County, MN Even
- Pepin County, WI R+30
Counties with Similar Populations
- Hampshire County, MA D+45
- Houston County, GA R+4
- Rock County, WI Even
- Portage County, OH R+12
- Johnson County, IN R+35
- Dorchester County, SC R+12
- Comal County, TX R+36
- Rensselaer County, NY D+6
- Yellowstone County, MT R+25
- Maui County, HI D+19
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.