50038 leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About more than 99% of adults in 50038 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 50038, ~48% vote Democratic, ~61% Republican, and ~-9% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 50038 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 50038 leans more Republican than 16 of 28 neighbors.
Politically, 50038 sits close to the rest of Iowa.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 50038. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+22) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+12), a spread of about 10 points.
Why 50038 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 50038, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 95% of households in 50038 are family households, about 28 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; 50038, IA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in 50038 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 50038 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 76%, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and more than 99% of households in 50038 own their home, compared to around 77% in nearby zip codes. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in 50038 have completed high school, in the top fraction of zip codes. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Iowa 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.