St. Cloud leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% Republican.
About 71% of adults in St. Cloud typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in St. Cloud, ~38% vote Democratic, ~33% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How St. Cloud compares
Among cities within 25 miles, St. Cloud is the most Democratic-leaning.
Politically, St. Cloud sits close to the rest of Minnesota.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within St. Cloud. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+17) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+2), a spread of about 19 points.
Why St. Cloud 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 St. Cloud, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 77% of residents in St. Cloud live in densely developed areas, about 41 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 46% of adults in St. Cloud have never been married, above 97% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; St. Cloud, MN sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in St. Cloud looks the way it does
Turnout in St. Cloud sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Waite Park, MN D+5
- Sauk Rapids, MN R+22
- Sartell, MN R+18
- Pleasant Lake, MN R+27
- St. Augusta, MN R+38
- St. Joseph, MN R+19
- Rockville, MN R+44
- Luxemburg, MN R+45
- Collegeville, MN R+19
- Popple Creek, MN R+60
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bayonne, NJ D+7
- Brick, NJ R+28
- Hendersonville, TN R+33
- Brandon, MS R+44
- West Lafayette, IN D+27
- Maple Grove, MN D+18
- White Plains, NY D+37
- Dale City, VA D+30
- Euless, TX D+7
- Lilburn, GA D+15
All Local Stats
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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.