Wadena leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 84% of adults in Wadena typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wadena, ~24% vote Democratic, ~60% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wadena compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Wadena leans more Republican than 1 of 24 neighbors.
Wadena runs about 45 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Wadena is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Wadena. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+51) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+34), a spread of about 17 points.
Why Wadena 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 Wadena, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Wadena votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Wadena runs about 45 points more Republican. Dense places usually vote Democratic, but Wadena runs against that pattern.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Wadena, MN sits below the national average on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Wadena looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Wadena 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 61%, about 5 points below the Minnesota average of 66%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Bluffton, MN R+60
- Hewitt, MN R+58
- Verndale, MN R+63
- Deer Creek, MN R+54
- Aldrich, MN R+60
- Wrightstown, MN R+56
- Sebeka, MN R+58
- New York Mills, MN R+53
- Bertha, MN R+59
- Heinola, MN R+44
Cities with Similar Populations
- Walland, TN R+63
- Peebles, OH R+64
- Vinton, LA R+68
- Garrettsville, OH R+42
- Lake Worth, TX R+19
- Williamstown, KY R+61
- Collins, MS R+17
- Dimondale, MI R+6
- Bogue Chitto, MS R+63
- Etowah, NC R+16
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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.