Rio Grande County leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 84% of adults in Rio Grande County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rio Grande County, ~33% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rio Grande County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Rio Grande County leans more Republican than 4 of 5 neighbors.
Rio Grande County runs about 33 points more Republican than Colorado as a whole. Colorado leans Democratic overall, while Rio Grande County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Rio Grande County. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+59) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+16), a spread of about 43 points.
Why Rio Grande 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 Rio Grande County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rio Grande County votes against the grain of Colorado. Colorado leans Democratic overall, while Rio Grande County runs about 33 points more Republican.
Non-English at home and voter turnout
Places with a low non-English-at-home share tend to turn out at a higher rate; Rio Grande County, CO sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Rio Grande County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Rio Grande County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Alamosa County, CO R+3
- Saguache County, CO D+5
- Conejos County, CO R+25
- Mineral County, CO R+5
- Costilla County, CO D+19
- Archuleta County, CO R+14
- Custer County, CO R+33
- Hinsdale County, CO R+6
- Chaffee County, CO D+6
- Huerfano County, CO R+7
Counties with Similar Populations
- Charlotte County, VA R+31
- Big Horn County, WY R+73
- Haskell County, OK R+69
- Cottonwood County, MN R+46
- Perry County, MS R+58
- Sierra County, NM R+17
- Douglas County, MO R+70
- Red River County, TX R+51
- Richland County, MT R+62
- Conecuh County, AL R+7
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Colorado 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.