St. Louis County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% Republican.
About 78% of adults in St. Louis County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in St. Louis County, ~44% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How St. Louis County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, St. Louis County is the most Democratic-leaning.
St. Louis County runs about 8 points more Democratic than Minnesota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within St. Louis County. The southeast side runs the most Democratic (D+35) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+22), a spread of about 57 points.
Why St. Louis 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 St. Louis County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 34% of adults in St. Louis County hold a bachelor's degree, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 35% of adults in St. Louis County have never been married, above 83% of counties.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; St. Louis County, MN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in St. Louis County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. St. Louis 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 73% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 95% of adults in St. Louis County have completed high school, above 91% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Carlton County, MN R+12
- Douglas County, WI Even
- Lake County, MN R+5
- Itasca County, MN R+22
- Bayfield County, WI D+6
- Aitkin County, MN R+33
- Pine County, MN R+37
- Ashland County, WI Even
- Burnett County, WI R+32
- Washburn County, WI R+31
Counties with Similar Populations
- Hawaii County, HI D+20
- Broome County, NY D+3
- Trumbull County, OH R+17
- Deschutes County, OR D+5
- Racine County, WI D+7
- Hall County, GA R+32
- Minnehaha County, SD R+10
- Anderson County, SC R+43
- Yuma County, AZ R+8
- Sangamon County, IL Even
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.