Brainerd, MN
Latest: 2024
Safe Republican — 99K residents — 2 counties
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 89.3% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(14) | 1.7% |
▶Black / African American(9) | 0.4% |
▶Asian(6) | 0.4% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(5) | 0.2% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(4) | 3.4% |
Multiracial / Other | 4.8% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Mainline Protestant | 14.5% | 39.7% |
| Catholic | 12.0% | 33.0% |
| Evangelical Protestant | 9.1% | 24.9% |
| Other | 0.9% | 2.4% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 0.5% | 1.2% |
| Non-religious | 63.5% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Trump+31.9 |
| 2020 | Trump+29.5 |
| 2016 | Trump+31.5 |
| 2012 | Romney+13.2 |
| 2008 | McCain+7.9 |
| 2004 | Bush+14.4 |
| 2000 | Bush+12.9 |
| 1996 | Clinton+4.6 |
| 1992 | Clinton+1.1 |
Brainerd, MN is a metro area that has a population of 98,678. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+31.9. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 33.2% | 65.1% | R+31.9 | R+2.5 |
| 2020 | 34.3% | 63.8% | R+29.5 | D+2.0 |
| 2016 | 30.7% | 62.2% | R+31.5 | R+18.3 |
| 2012 | 42.3% | 55.6% | R+13.2 | R+5.3 |
| 2008 | 44.9% | 52.9% | R+7.9 | D+6.5 |
| 2004 | 42.1% | 56.6% | R+14.4 | R+1.5 |
| 2000 | 40.2% | 53.1% | R+12.9 | R+17.5 |
| 1996 | 44.9% | 40.2% | D+4.6 | D+3.5 |
| 1992 | 37.6% | 36.4% | D+1.1 | D+7.7 |
| 1988 | 46.2% | 52.8% | R+6.6 | D+7.6 |
| 1984 | 42.6% | 56.7% | R+14.2 | R+5.3 |
| 1980 | 42.3% | 51.2% | R+8.8 | R+20.8 |
| 1976 | 54.0% | 42.0% | D+12.0 | D+23.9 |
| 1972 | 42.6% | 54.6% | R+12.0 | R+13.8 |
| 1968 | 48.3% | 46.5% | D+1.8 | R+23.5 |
| 1964 | 62.6% | 37.3% | D+25.3 | D+32.9 |
| 1960 | 46.1% | 53.6% | R+7.6 | D+4.8 |
| 1956 | 43.7% | 56.1% | R+12.4 | D+1.7 |
| 1952 | 42.6% | 56.7% | R+14.1 | R+28.9 |
| 1948 | 56.0% | 41.2% | D+14.8 | — |
What defines Brainerd, MN?
Brainerd, MN voted overwhelmingly Republican in 2024. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, revealing how its political character has evolved over more than a century.
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Counties in Brainerd, MN
2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
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Ask the Historian
Explore Brainerd, MN's political evolution with the Historian
Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Has voted Republican in the last 5 presidential elections
- Latest election (2024) was a Republican landslide with a 31.9% margin
- Highly elastic — margins have ranged 24.0 points across recent elections, suggesting a volatile electorate
Who Lives Here
A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
| Group | Brainerd, MN | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 89.3% | 57.4% |
Multiracial / Other | 4.8% | 4.0% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(4) | 3.4% | 0.9% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(14) | 1.7% | 19.3% |
▶Black / African American(9) | 0.4% | 12.2% |
▶Asian(6) | 0.4% | 6.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(5) | 0.2% | 0.9% |
Method notes
Religious Adherents
Population that are religious adherents:
36.5%
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14.5% | 39.7% | — | — | |
| 12.0% | 33.0% | — | — | |
| 9.1% | 24.9% | — | — | |
| 0.9% | 2.4% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 0.5% | 1.2% | — | — |
Non-religiousPopulation | 63.5% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Brainerd, MN metro area? 98,678 residents across 2 counties.
Demographics
Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
Population & electorate
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Total population
99K
Share of U.S. population
0.03%
Voting-age population
78.1%
Economic profile
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Median household income
$71,458
Poverty rate
10.8%
College degree
28.3%
Homeownership
79.8%
Community profile
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Median age
47.0 yrs
Age 18–29
11.4%
Age 65+
25.4%
Foreign born
1.3%
Non-English at home
2.3%
English only
97.7%
Turnout in Brainerd, MN
Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
80.1%
+4.2pp
77,031
1988–2024
How competitive is Brainerd, MN?
Safe RAvg margin: R+31.0 (last 3 elections)
2008
R+7.9
2012
R+13.2
2016
R+31.5
2020
R+29.5
2024
R+31.9
24.0pp
1
R+22.8
Do voters in Brainerd, MN split their tickets?
Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
Moderate splitting (55/100)
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Senate | R+31.9 | R+18.9 | 13.0pp |
Average divergence across office pairs: 9.3pp
Located In
Brainerd, MN sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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