Palo leans Republican by roughly 26 points: about 37% of voters vote Democratic and 63% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Palo typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Palo, ~23% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Palo compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Palo leans more Republican than 27 of 28 neighbors.
Palo runs about 30 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Palo is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Palo. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+29) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+18), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Palo 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 Palo, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 88% of residents in Palo drive to work alone, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Palo runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Palo, MN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Palo looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Palo 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 65%, above 67% of cities. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 96% of households in Palo own their home, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Palo have completed high school, above 86% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Aurora, MN R+14
- Makinen, MN R+6
- Markham, MN Even
- Hoyt Lakes, MN R+15
- Pineville, MN R+14
- Gilbert, MN R+17
- Biwabik, MN Even
- McKinley, MN Even
- Colby, MN R+20
- Genoa, MN R+18
Cities with Similar Populations
- Quincy, MO R+68
- Potomac Shores, MD R+27
- Islesboro, ME D+28
- Marysville, ID R+65
- Belsano, PA R+58
- Lorraine, NY R+47
- Clay Springs, AZ R+63
- Wall, PA R+3
- Russellville, IN R+63
- North Wolcott, NY R+41
All Local Stats
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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.