Rochester is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Rochester typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rochester, ~16% vote Democratic, ~63% Republican, and ~21% 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 23 of 49 neighbors.
Rochester runs about 41 points more Republican than Missouri as a whole.
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.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 92% of residents in Rochester drive to work alone, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 79% of households in Rochester are family households, above 87% of cities.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Rochester, MO sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Rochester looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 96% of households in Rochester own their home, about 17 points above the Missouri average of 78%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Helena, MO R+60
- Cosby, MO R+51
- Union Star, MO R+64
- Savannah, MO R+50
- Wyeth, MO R+59
- Oak, MO R+67
- Hurlingen, MO R+53
- Country Club, MO R+35
- San Antonio, MO R+51
- Clarksdale, MO R+61
Cities with Similar Populations
- Mount Chestnut Springs, PA R+44
- Mascot, VA R+35
- Sunflower, AL R+24
- Lehr, ND R+70
- Judith Gap, MT R+65
- Clayton, ID R+52
- Minden, WV R+52
- New London, AR R+59
- East Lynn, IL R+63
- Georgetown, MN R+34
All Local Stats
Home Services
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Missouri 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.