akashic
1876–2024
Rochester, MN·Minnesota

Rochester, MN votes the way the country votes.

Mayo Clinic's hometown anchors an unusually degree-dense metro

1876 — 2024·38 elections
MN
Latest
R+1
in 2024
Archetype
Bellwether
since the recent cycles
Population
228,522
2024 ACS

Rochester, MN, Minnesota: Bellwether metro. In 2024, voted R+1%. Republican peak: R+65 in 1920.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+1MIT Election Lab
Political archetype
BellwetherAkashic typology
Population
228,5222024 5-year
Median household income
$92,4952024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
81.8%2024 5-year
Black
5.6%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
5.3%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+16 in 1892MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+65 in 1920MIT Election Lab
2024 results by constituent county
4 counties · 1 D · 3 R
R+60
D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−1.0%
62,44163,723129,302
R
−0.1%
62,81762,929128,836
R
−7.3%
47,10855,455113,670
D
+1.5%
54,95353,316111,298
D
+2.0%
54,74152,598109,811
R
−5.7%
48,77554,778104,976
R
−6.8%
38,73444,74588,196
D
+3.4%
35,34532,66678,913
R
−4.7%
29,37233,43385,509
R
−14.2%
30,90441,21672,765
R
−23.4%
27,34444,19872,092
R
−19.8%
24,40338,04268,776
R
−16.9%
26,72937,94466,221
R
−37.1%
17,91039,93459,330
R
−13.3%
23,22430,69456,042
D
+12.1%
29,51323,13052,725
R
−21.4%
20,64231,92252,649
R
−32.2%
14,71428,72643,545
R
−41.4%
13,34232,32545,855
D
+1.1%
19,82219,39639,658
R
−20.6%
14,34621,80936,289
R
−19.9%
17,23125,84843,204
D
+14.4%
20,65615,17138,158
D
+14.4%
19,72114,68135,068
R
−35.6%
11,14623,56634,877
R
−49.9%
2,17616,96229,608
R
−64.9%
4,44622,76428,213
R
−17.5%
5,5838,09314,370
O
+9.7%
4,4973,15613,843
R
−31.5%
4,7059,33514,694
R
−49.6%
3,0969,80113,526
R
−32.6%
5,04110,28416,073
R
−30.0%
6,22111,82618,663
D
+15.8%
8,0685,58715,653
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Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
32.4%
Irish
10.1%
English
7.7%
American
3.8%
Polish
2.5%
Italian
1.7%
French
1.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 39.0 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.9%
85+
1.6%
2.3%
75–84
2.9%
4.8%
65–74
5.1%
6.2%
55–64
6.4%
5.7%
45–54
5.4%
7.0%
35–44
6.8%
6.4%
25–34
6.8%
3.8%
18–24
3.9%
9.0%
5–17
8.8%
3.1%
<5
3.0%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$92,495
Rochester, MN ranks near the middle of US counties.
Rochester, MN$92,495
Minnesota$89,062
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
7.5%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 187.3%
Working age (18–64)7.2%
Seniors (65+)10.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
88.5%
speak English only
Asian & Pacific Islander3.2%
Spanish3.1%
Other languages2.8%
Other Indo-European2.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Mainline Protestant
22.1%
Catholic & Orthodox
15.8%
Other Christian
8.8%
Methodist
2.6%
Pentecostal & Holiness
2.1%
Non-Christian
1.6%
Baptist
0.4%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 46.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Rochester's economy revolves around a single world-renowned medical employer, producing one of Minnesota's highest concentrations of advanced-degree holders and a white-collar electorate that has trended competitive in recent statewide cycles.

The Democratic margin in Rochester, MN has rarely exceeded sixteen points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded sixty-five points. 2024 delivered the metro to the Republican candidate by one points.

Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most metros. A 82% non-Hispanic-white share, a 8% poverty rate, and a median household income of $92,495 — all within the broad national range.

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Rochester, MN, Minnesota — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/cbsa/40340/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Rochester, MN, Minnesota vote in 2024?
In 2024, Rochester, MN, Minnesota voted Republican by 1.0 points (R+1), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 129,302 votes cast, 62,441 went Democratic and 63,723 went Republican.
What is Rochester, MN, Minnesota's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Rochester, MN, Minnesota as a "Bellwether" metro based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 8 times, Republican 25 times, and other 1 times.
When did Rochester, MN, Minnesota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Rochester, MN, Minnesota voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Rochester, MN, Minnesota?
Rochester, MN, Minnesota has a population of 228,522 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Rochester, MN, Minnesota?
Median household income in Rochester, MN, Minnesota is $92,495 — above the national median of $80,734. The Minnesota state median is $89,062.
What is the political history of Rochester, MN, Minnesota?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Rochester, MN, Minnesota from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 8 went Democratic and 25 went Republican. The metro's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.