Washburn leans Democratic by roughly 16 points: about 58% of voters vote Democratic and 42% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Washburn typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Washburn, ~45% vote Democratic, ~33% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Washburn compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Washburn leans more Democratic than 17 of 26 neighbors.
Washburn runs about 17 points more Democratic than Wisconsin as a whole. Wisconsin is roughly evenly split, and Washburn sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Washburn. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+22) and the west side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+12), a spread of about 10 points.
Why Washburn 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 Washburn, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 34% of residents in Washburn live in densely developed areas, above 82% of cities. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Washburn sits in the top quarter (about 39%, above 87% of cities). Washburn runs against the grain of Wisconsin, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Washburn, WI sits in the top 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 Washburn looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Washburn 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Washburn have completed high school, above 86% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Ashland, WI D+10
- Salmo, WI D+33
- Ashland Junction, WI R+8
- Barksdale, WI R+18
- Sanborn, WI R+37
- Moquah, WI R+16
- La Pointe, WI D+47
- Bayfield, WI D+48
Cities with Similar Populations
- Italy, TX R+57
- Abernathy, TX R+56
- Pennellville, NY R+23
- Watertown, FL R+20
- Castlewood, VA R+71
- Utica, KY R+59
- Brooklyn, WI D+8
- El Paso, IL R+50
- Fogelsville, PA R+15
- Dolgeville, NY R+32
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Wisconsin Elections Commission, 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.