Roy Lake leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 56% of adults in Roy Lake typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Roy Lake, ~25% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Roy Lake compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Roy Lake leans more Republican than 5 of 19 neighbors.
Roy Lake runs about 16 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Roy Lake is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Roy Lake 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 Roy Lake, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 3% of residents in Roy Lake live in densely developed areas, about 21 points below the Minnesota average of 23%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Roy Lake sits in the bottom quarter (about 15%, below 77% of cities). Roy Lake runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Roy Lake, MN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Roy Lake looks the way it does
Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout. About 10% of homes in Roy Lake have more than one occupant per room, above 97% of cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Roy Lake sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Rice Lake, MN R+14
- Mahkonce, MN R+21
- Naytahwaush, MN R+24
- Zerkel, MN R+24
- Pine Bend, MN R+10
- Ebro, MN R+32
- Lengby, MN R+42
- Bagley, MN R+43
- Lake Itasca, MN R+33
- Waubun, MN R+21
Cities with Similar Populations
- Zenith, KS R+74
- Catarina, TX Even
- Koko, TN R+37
- Lotus, IN R+64
- Gaylord, NC R+28
- Mount Hamill, IA R+46
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.