Polk County leans heavily Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Polk County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Polk County, ~28% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Polk County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Polk County leans more Republican than 3 of 7 neighbors.
Polk County runs about 35 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Polk County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Polk County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+56) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+27), a spread of about 29 points.
Why Polk County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Polk County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Polk County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Polk County runs about 35 points more Republican.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Polk County, MN 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 Polk County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Polk County 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 65%, above 78% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Polk County have completed high school, above 83% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Red Lake County, MN R+47
- Grand Forks County, ND R+8
- Pennington County, MN R+32
- Norman County, MN R+27
- Marshall County, MN R+53
- Traill County, ND R+37
- Mahnomen County, MN R+16
- Clearwater County, MN R+46
- Steele County, ND R+33
- Walsh County, ND R+46
Counties with Similar Populations
- Delta County, CO R+35
- Pontotoc County, MS R+65
- Adams County, NE R+42
- Clarendon County, SC R+8
- Titus County, TX R+40
- Lake County, MT R+21
- Coos County, NH R+24
- Washington County, ME R+24
- Amherst County, VA R+33
- Stone County, MO R+55
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.