50522 leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 67% of adults in 50522 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 50522, ~18% vote Democratic, ~49% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 50522 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 50522 leans more Republican than 1 of 9 neighbors.
50522 runs about 33 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 50522. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+56) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+44), a spread of about 12 points.
Why 50522 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 50522, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. 50522 sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 94% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 72%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; 50522, IA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in 50522 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 50522 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 64%, above 61% 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.