Watkins is a Republican stronghold. About 23% of voters here vote Democratic and 77% Republican.
About 85% of adults in Watkins typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Watkins, ~20% vote Democratic, ~65% Republican, and ~15% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Watkins compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Watkins leans more Republican than 37 of 48 neighbors.
Watkins runs about 57 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Watkins is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Watkins. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+58) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+48), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Watkins 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 Watkins, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Watkins, about 97% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 12% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 16 points below the Minnesota average of 28%. Watkins runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Watkins, MN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Watkins looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Watkins 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Eden Valley, MN R+55
- Kimball, MN R+57
- Kingston, MN R+54
- Cold Spring, MN R+39
- Richmond, MN R+59
- South Haven, MN R+48
- Roscoe, MN R+54
- Luxemburg, MN R+45
- Rockville, MN R+44
- Jacobs Prairie, MN R+37
Cities with Similar Populations
- Manitou Beach, MI R+32
- Willis, VA R+54
- Hollister, NC D+41
- Green Springs, OH R+52
- Carlton, MN R+22
- Rio Medina, TX R+35
- Lester Prairie, MN R+48
- Limington, ME R+39
- Baroda, MI R+26
- Blue Mountain, MS R+46
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.