Parmelee is a Democratic stronghold. About 79% of voters here vote Democratic and 21% Republican.
About 53% of adults in Parmelee typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Parmelee, ~42% vote Democratic, ~11% Republican, and ~47% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Parmelee compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Parmelee leans more Democratic than 7 of 11 neighbors.
Parmelee runs about 88 points more Democratic than South Dakota as a whole. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Parmelee is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Parmelee. The southeast side runs the most Democratic (D+62) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+12), a spread of about 73 points.
Why Parmelee 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 Parmelee, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Parmelee votes against the grain of South Dakota. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Parmelee runs about 88 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 69% of adults in Parmelee have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Parmelee, SD sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Parmelee looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Parmelee is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 45%, about 21 points below the South Dakota average of 66%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 83% of households in Parmelee rent, compared to around 45% in nearby cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Parmelee sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Soldier Creek, SD D+64
- Two Strike, SD D+63
- Rosebud, SD D+67
- Norris, SD R+4
- St. Francis, SD D+63
- Spring Creek, SD D+53
- Vetal, SD R+8
- Mission, SD D+53
- Hidden Timber, SD D+36
- White River, SD R+27
Cities with Similar Populations
- Downing, WI R+41
- Horntown, VA R+28
- Branch, MI R+35
- Snook, TX R+47
- Kiowa, KS R+73
- Fort Littleton, PA R+75
- Forksville, LA R+83
- Knollwood Village, OH R+44
- Dixie, GA R+11
- Camden Point, MO R+48
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.