Washington County leans Republican by roughly 28 points: about 36% of voters vote Democratic and 64% Republican.
About 94% of adults in Washington County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Washington County, ~34% vote Democratic, ~60% Republican, and ~6% 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 Republican than 8 of 9 neighbors.
Washington County runs about 27 points more Republican than Wisconsin as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Washington County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+50) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+17), a spread of about 33 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.
Washington County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 51%, well above the Wisconsin average of 24%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 70% of households in Washington County are family households, above 78% of counties.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Washington County, WI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Washington County have completed high school, above 96% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Ozaukee County, WI R+7
- Waukesha County, WI R+14
- Milwaukee County, WI D+41
- Dodge County, WI R+30
- Fond du Lac County, WI R+23
- Sheboygan County, WI R+15
- Jefferson County, WI R+21
- Racine County, WI D+7
- Walworth County, WI R+17
- Green Lake County, WI R+34
Counties with Similar Populations
- Brunswick County, NC R+29
- Humboldt County, CA D+27
- Florence County, SC Even
- Hampton City, VA D+41
- Clark County, OH R+21
- Boone County, KY R+28
- Grayson County, TX R+43
- Marathon County, WI R+17
- Napa County, CA D+32
- Blount County, TN R+49
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.