Wakarusa leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Wakarusa typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wakarusa, ~25% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wakarusa compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Wakarusa leans more Republican than 7 of 32 neighbors.
Wakarusa runs about 19 points more Republican than Kansas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Wakarusa. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+48) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+18), a spread of about 31 points.
Why Wakarusa 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 Wakarusa, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 86% of residents in Wakarusa drive to work alone, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Wakarusa, KS sits in the bottom quarter 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 Wakarusa looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Wakarusa 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Wakarusa have completed high school, above 87% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Auburn, KS R+40
- Carbondale, KS R+44
- Berryton, KS R+31
- Scranton, KS R+53
- Topeka, KS D+8
- Richland, KS R+35
- Burlingame, KS R+51
- Tecumseh, KS R+19
- Dover, KS R+46
- Overbrook, KS R+43
Cities with Similar Populations
- Rumley, TX R+71
- San Rafael, NM R+39
- Port Gibson, NY R+31
- Rehrersburg, PA R+46
- Orient, NY D+34
- Bladensburg, OH R+71
- Holbrook, KY R+65
- White Mills, PA R+36
- South Bloomingville, OH R+55
- Savage, MS R+69
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kansas 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.