Polk County leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Polk County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Polk County, ~26% vote Democratic, ~53% 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 10 of 12 neighbors.
Polk County runs about 32 points more Republican than Wisconsin as a whole.
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.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Polk County sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 93% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 6 points above the Wisconsin average of 87%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Polk County, WI sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 81% of households in Polk County own their home, above 85% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Polk County have completed high school, above 85% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Chisago County, MN R+29
- St. Croix County, WI R+20
- Burnett County, WI R+32
- Barron County, WI R+28
- Washington County, MN D+10
- Isanti County, MN R+34
- Anoka County, MN Even
- Ramsey County, MN D+43
- Washburn County, WI R+31
- Pierce County, WI R+19
Counties with Similar Populations
- Macoupin County, IL R+42
- Lawrence County, IN R+51
- Itasca County, MN R+22
- Chilton County, AL R+69
- Washington County, MS D+48
- Shelby County, IN R+47
- Branch County, MI R+38
- Wood County, TX R+68
- Henderson County, KY R+33
- Bryan County, GA R+35
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Wisconsin Elections Commission, 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.