San Miguel County leans heavily Democratic by roughly 34 points: about 67% of voters vote Democratic and 33% Republican.
About 91% of adults in San Miguel County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in San Miguel County, ~61% vote Democratic, ~30% Republican, and ~9% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How San Miguel County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, San Miguel County is the most Democratic-leaning.
San Miguel County runs about 24 points more Democratic than Colorado as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within San Miguel County. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+59) and the west side runs the most Republican (R+38), a spread of about 98 points.
Why San Miguel County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for San Miguel County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 65% of adults in San Miguel County hold a bachelor's degree, about 37 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; San Miguel County, CO 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 San Miguel County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. San Miguel County 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 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 99% of adults in San Miguel County have completed high school, in the top fraction of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Ouray County, CO D+13
- San Juan County, CO D+29
- Montrose County, CO R+30
- Hinsdale County, CO R+6
- Dolores County, CO R+45
- La Plata County, CO D+13
- Montezuma County, CO R+24
- Mineral County, CO R+5
- Delta County, CO R+35
- Archuleta County, CO R+14
Counties with Similar Populations
- Clay County, WV R+63
- Schoolcraft County, MI R+28
- Allendale County, SC D+37
- Graham County, NC R+62
- Clay County, KS R+56
- Twiggs County, GA R+22
- Traill County, ND R+37
- Hamilton County, IL R+62
- Harrison County, MO R+64
- Baraga County, MI R+14
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Colorado 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.