50061 leans Republican by roughly 26 points: about 37% of voters vote Democratic and 63% Republican.
About 94% of adults in 50061 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 50061, ~35% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~6% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 50061 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 50061 leans more Republican than 23 of 31 neighbors.
50061 runs about 13 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 50061. The north side runs the most Democratic (Even) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+40), a spread of about 41 points.
Why 50061 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 50061, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 80% of households in 50061 are family households, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a low uninsured rate tend to turn out at a higher rate, as 50061, IA does.
Why turnout in 50061 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 50061 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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 96% of households in 50061 own their home, compared to around 77% in nearby zip codes. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in 50061 have completed high school, above 95% of zip codes. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
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.