Pierre, SD Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Pierre

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Pierre leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.

 

About 78% of adults in Pierre typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pierre, ~27% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Pierre compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Pierre is the least Republican-leaning.

Politically, Pierre sits close to the rest of South Dakota.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Pierre. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+45) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+19), a spread of about 26 points.

Why Pierre 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 Pierre, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Pierre votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 54%, far above the South Dakota average of 9%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.

Walkability and Democratic lean

Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Pierre, SD sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.

Why turnout in Pierre looks the way it does

Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Pierre 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Pierre have completed high school, above 90% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

All Local Stats

Home Services

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.