Rochester leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Rochester typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rochester, ~19% vote Democratic, ~53% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rochester compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Rochester leans more Republican than 10 of 69 neighbors.
Rochester runs about 27 points more Republican than Indiana as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Rochester. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+60) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+38), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Rochester 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 Rochester, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rochester votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 52%, well above the Indiana average of 25%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Rochester, IN sits in the top 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 Rochester looks the way it does
Turnout in Rochester sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Athens, IN R+56
- Tiosa, IN R+59
- Talma, IN R+61
- Walnut, IN R+62
- Deedsville, IN R+64
- Fulton, IN R+60
- Delong, IN R+54
- Macy, IN R+61
- Akron, IN R+55
- Kewanna, IN R+56
Cities with Similar Populations
- Waterford, NY R+4
- Steger, IL D+30
- Sierra Madre, CA D+30
- Redland, MD D+47
- Tuckahoe, NY D+13
- Grayson, KY R+58
- Paso Robles, CA R+32
- Mount Olive, NC R+17
- Sausalito, CA D+59
- Forest, MS D+7
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Indiana 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.