Trail City leans Republican by roughly 16 points: about 42% of voters vote Democratic and 58% Republican.
About 42% of adults in Trail City typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Trail City, ~18% vote Democratic, ~24% Republican, and ~58% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Trail City compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Trail City leans more Republican than 5 of 9 neighbors.
Trail City runs about 13 points more Democratic than South Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Trail City. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+58) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+51), a spread of about 109 points.
Why Trail City 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 Trail City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 1% of residents in Trail City live in densely developed areas, about 8 points below the South Dakota average of 9%.
Population density, never-married share, and Republican lean
Places that combine low population density and a never-married-heavy adult population tend to lean Republican, as Trail City, SD does.
Why turnout in Trail City looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Trail City is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 36% of households in Trail City rent, above 91% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Glencross, SD D+2
- Whitehorse, SD R+51
- Mobridge, SD R+41
- Wakpala, SD D+58
- Little Eagle, SD D+58
- Timber Lake, SD R+44
- Promise, SD D+50
- La Plant, SD D+49
- Glenham, SD R+78
- Liberty, SD D+48
Cities with Similar Populations
- Selbyville, WV R+69
- Scarce Grease, AL R+80
- Flomot, TX R+86
- Webb City, OK R+70
- Glendale, IL R+58
- Wesco, MO R+67
- Gogebic, MI R+16
- Jeffrey City, WY R+56
- Salem, MD R+43
- Twin Hills, AK D+27
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Dakota 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.