Waukesha County leans slightly Republican by roughly 14 points: about 43% of voters vote Democratic and 57% Republican.
About 95% of adults in Waukesha County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Waukesha County, ~41% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~5% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Waukesha County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Waukesha County leans more Republican than 5 of 9 neighbors.
Waukesha County runs about 13 points more Republican than Wisconsin as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Waukesha County. The east side runs the most Democratic (Even) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+33), a spread of about 34 points.
Why Waukesha 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 Waukesha County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Waukesha County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 71%, far 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 69% of households in Waukesha County are family households, above 76% of counties.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Waukesha County, WI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Waukesha County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Waukesha 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 74%, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Waukesha County have completed high school, in the top fraction of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Milwaukee County, WI D+41
- Washington County, WI R+28
- Ozaukee County, WI R+7
- Racine County, WI D+7
- Jefferson County, WI R+21
- Walworth County, WI R+17
- Kenosha County, WI Even
- Dodge County, WI R+30
- Rock County, WI Even
- Lake County, IL D+22
Counties with Similar Populations
- Genesee County, MI D+8
- Charleston County, SC D+14
- St. Charles County, MO R+14
- Placer County, CA R+11
- Orange County, NY R+7
- Manatee County, FL R+15
- Mobile County, AL R+8
- Pulaski County, AR D+28
- Richland County, SC D+38
- Loudoun County, VA D+18
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.