Rolla leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Rolla typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rolla, ~23% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rolla compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Rolla leans more Republican than 1 of 41 neighbors.
Politically, Rolla sits close to the rest of Missouri.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Rolla. The north side runs the most Democratic (Even) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+39), a spread of about 40 points.
Why Rolla 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 Rolla, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rolla votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 54%, far above the Missouri average of 22%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with renter-heavy households tend to turn out at a lower rate; Rolla, MO sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Rolla looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 47% of households in Rolla rent, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Doolittle, MO R+50
- Northwye, MO R+60
- Vida, MO R+54
- High Gate, MO R+59
- St. James, MO R+48
- Newburg, MO R+57
- Safe, MO R+65
- Vichy, MO R+67
- Seaton, MO R+57
- Jerome, MO R+60
Cities with Similar Populations
- Batavia, IL D+15
- Richmond Hill, GA R+27
- Martinsville, IN R+52
- Madison Heights, MI D+9
- Millsboro, DE R+12
- Centereach, NY R+19
- Ardmore, OK R+33
- Carbondale, IL D+36
- Norco, CA R+19
- Klamath Falls, OR R+22
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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.