51542 leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 98% of adults in 51542 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 51542, ~28% vote Democratic, ~69% Republican, and ~3% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 51542 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 51542 leans more Republican than 19 of 23 neighbors.
51542 runs about 30 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why 51542 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 51542, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 83% of households in 51542 are family households, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; 51542, IA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in 51542 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 51542 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 97% of households in 51542 own their home, compared to around 75% in nearby zip codes. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in 51542 have completed high school, above 89% 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.