Richland is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Richland typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Richland, ~18% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Richland compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Richland leans more Republican than 19 of 43 neighbors.
Richland runs about 22 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Why Richland 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 Richland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Richland live in densely developed areas, about 31 points below the U.S. average of 36%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 83% of households in Richland are family households, above 94% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Richland, SD sits in the top quarter 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 Richland looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Richland 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%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 98% of households in Richland own their home, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Akron, IA R+57
- Westfield, IA R+54
- Junction City, SD R+52
- Spink, SD R+48
- Elk Point, SD R+42
- Nora, SD R+48
- Burbank, SD R+38
- Chatsworth, IA R+61
- Ruble, IA R+59
Cities with Similar Populations
- Gunlock, KY R+74
- Rhea, OK R+80
- Rousseau, SD R+63
- Mc Donald, NM R+76
- Rankin, MS R+56
- Whickerville, KY R+73
- Grand Summit, KS R+71
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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.