Watertown leans Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 87% of adults in Watertown typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Watertown, ~30% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~13% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Watertown compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Watertown leans more Republican than 51 of 83 neighbors.
Watertown runs about 34 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Watertown is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Watertown. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+37) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+24), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Watertown 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 Watertown, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Watertown votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 43%, well above the Minnesota average of 23%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Watertown runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Watertown, MN sits above the national average on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Watertown looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Watertown 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 Watertown have completed high school, above 82% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Mayer, MN R+35
- Delano, MN R+27
- St. Bonifacius, MN R+11
- Minnetrista, MN R+5
- New Germany, MN R+50
- Montrose, MN R+39
- Waconia, MN R+14
- Independence, MN R+14
- Mound, MN D+6
- Maple Plain, MN R+5
Cities with Similar Populations
- Newmanstown, PA R+53
- Grambling, LA D+67
- West York, PA D+6
- Munford, AL R+50
- Chamberlayne, VA D+51
- Englewood, TN R+68
- Montrose-Ghent, OH Even
- Dyersville, IA R+34
- Rancho Calaveras, CA R+38
- Roland, OK R+52
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.