Peterson leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Peterson typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Peterson, ~23% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Peterson compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Peterson leans more Republican than 34 of 61 neighbors.
Peterson runs about 36 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Peterson is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Peterson 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 Peterson, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Peterson live in densely developed areas, about 18 points below the Minnesota average of 23%. Peterson runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Peterson, MN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Peterson looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Peterson 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 91% of households in Peterson own their home, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Rushford Village, MN R+28
- Rushford, MN R+28
- Whalan, MN R+32
- Lanesboro, MN R+21
- South Rushford, MN R+31
- Fremont, MN R+46
- Troy, MN R+36
- Yucatan, MN R+33
- Wyattville, MN R+43
- Tawney, MN R+30
Cities with Similar Populations
- Clinton, MN R+37
- Cambridge, ID R+75
- Kings Station, NY D+5
- Caryville, FL R+61
- Dewar, OK R+58
- Raymondville, MO R+69
- Wyndale, VA R+61
- Hayesville, OH R+58
- Lyman, WA R+30
- London, MI R+39
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.