Zim leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Zim typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Zim, ~27% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Zim compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Zim leans more Republican than 30 of 36 neighbors.
Zim runs about 27 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Zim is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Zim. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+26) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+4), a spread of about 22 points.
Why Zim 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 Zim, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 2% of residents in Zim live in densely developed areas, about 21 points below the Minnesota average of 23%. Zim runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Zim, MN sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Zim looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Zim 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%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 97% of households in Zim own their home, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Zim have completed high school, above 88% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Forbes, MN R+26
- Iron, MN R+20
- Iron Junction, MN R+19
- Genoa, MN R+18
- Melrude, MN R+4
- Eveleth, MN R+5
- Leonidas, MN R+11
- Little Swan, MN R+26
- Wilpen, MN R+17
- Makinen, MN R+6
Cities with Similar Populations
- Youngs, NY R+32
- Hiattville, KS R+68
- Glen Ferris, WV R+51
- Dividing Creek, NJ R+40
- Spirit Falls, WI R+38
- Pyburns, TN R+77
- Summitville, CO R+20
- Wiseman, AR R+66
- Welch Glade, WV R+64
- Cornwall Furnace, AL R+71
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.