Wadena County leans heavily Republican by roughly 50 points: about 25% of voters vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Wadena County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wadena County, ~19% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wadena County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Wadena County leans more Republican than 6 of 7 neighbors.
Wadena County runs about 53 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Wadena County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Wadena County. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+62) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+37), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Wadena 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 Wadena County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Wadena County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Wadena County runs about 53 points more Republican.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Wadena County, MN sits below the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Wadena County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Wadena 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 63%, above 65% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Todd County, MN R+50
- Cass County, MN R+30
- Otter Tail County, MN R+35
- Hubbard County, MN R+30
- Becker County, MN R+33
- Crow Wing County, MN R+29
- Douglas County, MN R+36
- Morrison County, MN R+53
- Grant County, MN R+36
- Pope County, MN R+38
Counties with Similar Populations
- Screven County, GA R+23
- Trigg County, KY R+56
- Allamakee County, IA R+32
- Price County, WI R+36
- Roane County, WV R+60
- Craig County, OK R+53
- Noble County, OH R+55
- Swain County, NC R+27
- Calhoun County, SC R+15
- Dickenson County, VA R+66
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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.