Pine Ridge is a Democratic stronghold. About 84% of voters here vote Democratic and 16% Republican.
About 57% of adults in Pine Ridge typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pine Ridge, ~48% vote Democratic, ~9% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pine Ridge compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Pine Ridge is the most Democratic-leaning.
Pine Ridge runs about 97 points more Democratic than South Dakota as a whole. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Pine Ridge is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Why Pine Ridge 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 Pine Ridge, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Pine Ridge votes against the grain of South Dakota. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Pine Ridge runs about 97 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 57% of adults in Pine Ridge have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Pine Ridge, SD sits in the bottom tenth 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 Pine Ridge looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Pine Ridge 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 44%, about 22 points below the South Dakota average of 66%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 32% of households in Pine Ridge rent, above 87% of cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Pine Ridge sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Whiteclay, NE R+78
- Wounded Knee, SD D+57
- Oglala, SD D+61
- Manderson, SD D+57
- Batesland, SD D+49
- Loomer, SD D+4
- Porcupine, SD D+57
- Rushville, NE R+63
- Gordon, NE R+64
Cities with Similar Populations
- Hoosick Falls, NY R+18
- Troy, VA R+24
- Blue Ridge, VA R+49
- Harmony, PA R+32
- Forest Hills, TN R+15
- Paris, AR R+57
- Mounds, OK R+63
- Fair Grove, MO R+58
- Caruthers, CA R+23
- Summerton, SC R+2
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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.