51553 leans heavily Republican by roughly 48 points: about 26% of voters vote Democratic and 74% Republican.
About 78% of adults in 51553 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 51553, ~20% vote Democratic, ~58% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 51553 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 51553 leans more Republican than 6 of 9 neighbors.
51553 runs about 35 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why 51553 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 51553, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 84% of residents in 51553 drive to work alone, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 78% of households in 51553 are family households, above 88% of zip codes.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; 51553, IA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in 51553 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 51553 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 88% of households in 51553 own their home, above 81% of zip codes. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in 51553 have completed high school, above 94% 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.