Rochester leans Democratic by roughly 20 points: about 60% of voters vote Democratic and 40% Republican.
About 82% of adults in Rochester typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rochester, ~49% vote Democratic, ~33% Republican, and ~18% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rochester compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Rochester is the most Democratic-leaning.
Rochester runs about 16 points more Democratic than Minnesota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Rochester. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+24) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+10), a spread of about 14 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.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 74% of residents in Rochester live in densely developed areas, about 38 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Rochester sits in the top quarter (about 51%, above 94% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 34% of adults in Rochester have never been married, above 85% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Rochester, MN 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 Rochester looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Rochester 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Golden Hill, MN Even
- Douglas, MN R+23
- Oronoco, MN R+16
- Byron, MN R+7
- Marion, MN R+15
- Post Town, MN R+16
- Simpson, MN R+28
- Salem Corners, MN R+34
- Viola, MN R+33
- Potsdam, MN R+31
Cities with Similar Populations
- Gainesville, GA R+25
- Abilene, TX R+30
- Berkeley, CA D+80
- Schenectady, NY D+22
- Richardson, TX D+14
- Sterling Heights, MI R+19
- Hamilton, OH R+25
- Santa Clara, CA D+35
- Simi Valley, CA Even
- Vallejo, CA D+38
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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.