Washington County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 93% of adults in Washington County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Washington County, ~51% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~7% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Washington County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Washington County leans more Democratic than 12 of 15 neighbors.
Washington County runs about 6 points more Democratic than Minnesota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Washington County. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+19) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+3), a spread of about 22 points.
Why Washington 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 Washington County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 49% of adults in Washington County hold a bachelor's degree, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Washington County sits in the top fifth on density (about 70%, above 90% of counties).
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Washington County, MN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Washington County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Washington 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 83% of households in Washington County own their home, above 92% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Washington County have completed high school, above 97% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Ramsey County, MN D+43
- St. Croix County, WI R+20
- Dakota County, MN D+11
- Hennepin County, MN D+43
- Anoka County, MN Even
- Pierce County, WI R+19
- Chisago County, MN R+29
- Scott County, MN R+5
- Polk County, WI R+33
- Carver County, MN R+8
Counties with Similar Populations
- Webb County, TX Even
- Cherokee County, GA R+33
- Brown County, WI R+4
- Madison County, IL R+11
- Buncombe County, NC D+18
- St. Tammany Parish, LA R+35
- Santa Cruz County, CA D+49
- Erie County, PA Even
- Frederick County, MD D+10
- Marin County, CA D+48
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.