Rice Lake leans slightly Republican by roughly 14 points: about 43% of voters vote Democratic and 57% Republican.
About 57% of adults in Rice Lake typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rice Lake, ~24% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rice Lake compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Rice Lake leans more Republican than 5 of 23 neighbors.
Rice Lake runs about 19 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Rice Lake is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Rice Lake 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 Rice Lake, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 12% of adults in Rice Lake hold a bachelor's degree, about 16 points below the Minnesota average of 28%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Rice Lake sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 2%, below 94% of cities). Rice Lake runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Rice Lake, MN sits in the bottom tenth 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 Rice Lake looks the way it does
Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout. About 14% of homes in Rice Lake have more than one occupant per room, above 98% of cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Rice Lake sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Roy Lake, MN R+12
- Pine Bend, MN R+10
- Mahkonce, MN R+21
- Zerkel, MN R+24
- Ebro, MN R+32
- Bagley, MN R+43
- Lengby, MN R+42
- Naytahwaush, MN R+24
- Shevlin, MN R+52
- Fosston, MN R+47
Cities with Similar Populations
- Doddsville, MS D+22
- Tiffin, MO R+68
- Reed, PA R+44
- Svensen, OR R+21
- Middle Ridge, WI R+24
- Ryde, CA R+5
- Upland, WV R+60
- Murphy, WV R+64
- McCol Place, IN R+59
- Ware, IL R+56
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.