Wheeler County is a Republican stronghold. About 14% of voters here vote Democratic and 86% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Wheeler County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wheeler County, ~10% vote Democratic, ~65% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wheeler County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Wheeler County is the most Republican-leaning.
Wheeler County runs about 52 points more Republican than Nebraska as a whole.
Why Wheeler 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 Wheeler County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Wheeler County sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 95% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 8 points above the Nebraska average of 88%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Wheeler County, NE sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Wheeler County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Wheeler 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 66%, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Wheeler 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
- Greeley County, NE R+68
- Garfield County, NE R+66
- Valley County, NE R+67
- Antelope County, NE R+71
- Boone County, NE R+64
- Holt County, NE R+69
- Loup County, NE R+72
- Nance County, NE R+60
- Howard County, NE R+64
- Sherman County, NE R+64
Counties with Similar Populations
- Keya Paha County, NE R+82
- Treasure County, MT R+66
- Terrell County, TX R+65
- Hinsdale County, CO R+6
- Clark County, ID R+65
- Kent County, TX R+79
- Esmeralda County, NV R+61
- Golden Valley County, MT R+69
- Roberts County, TX R+90
- Logan County, NE R+83
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Nebraska 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.