Payne leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 62% of adults in Payne typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Payne, ~27% vote Democratic, ~35% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Payne compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Payne leans more Republican than 8 of 26 neighbors.
Payne runs about 16 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Payne is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Payne. The west side is the most split-leaning (R+26) and the east side is the least split-leaning (Even), a spread of about 26 points.
Why Payne 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 Payne, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 2% of residents in Payne live in densely developed areas, about 21 points below the Minnesota average of 23%. Payne runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Payne, MN sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Payne looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Payne 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 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Canyon, MN R+9
- Prosit, MN R+17
- Alborn, MN R+17
- Cotton, MN R+4
- Meadowlands, MN R+26
- Culver, MN R+17
- Toivola, MN R+27
- Burnett, MN R+18
- Melrude, MN R+4
- Shaw, MN R+6
Cities with Similar Populations
- Youngs, MS R+42
- Yellow Rock, KY R+66
- Cascade-Chipita Park, CO D+3
- Timpas, CO R+38
- Savah, IN R+50
- Independence, IL R+68
- Tippecanoe, PA R+48
- Rosecrans, WI R+45
- Green Castle, IA R+40
- Primrose, IA R+47
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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.