Sawyer County leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Sawyer County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sawyer County, ~34% vote Democratic, ~44% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sawyer County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Sawyer County leans more Republican than 2 of 6 neighbors.
Sawyer County runs about 10 points more Republican than Wisconsin as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Sawyer County. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+6) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+35), a spread of about 40 points.
Why Sawyer 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 Sawyer County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 12% of residents in Sawyer County live in densely developed areas, about 13 points below the Wisconsin average of 24%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Sawyer County, WI sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Sawyer County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Sawyer 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 64%, above 72% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Sawyer County have completed high school, above 81% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Washburn County, WI R+31
- Rusk County, WI R+38
- Barron County, WI R+28
- Ashland County, WI Even
- Bayfield County, WI D+6
- Price County, WI R+36
- Burnett County, WI R+32
- Douglas County, WI Even
- Iron County, WI R+27
- Chippewa County, WI R+24
Counties with Similar Populations
- Banks County, GA R+78
- Brantley County, GA R+80
- Andrew County, MO R+50
- Montour County, PA R+23
- Southampton County, VA R+22
- Russell County, KY R+67
- Berrien County, GA R+66
- Colonial Heights City, VA R+19
- Benzie County, MI R+10
- Madison County, FL R+18
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Wisconsin Elections Commission, 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.