52802 leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 57% of adults in 52802 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 52802, ~31% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 52802 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 52802 leans more Democratic than 25 of 31 neighbors.
52802 runs about 23 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole. Iowa leans Republican overall, while 52802 is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 52802. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+27) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+23), a spread of about 50 points.
Why 52802 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 52802, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 82% of residents in 52802 live in densely developed areas, about 46 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 38% of adults in 52802 have never been married, above 85% of zip codes. 52802 runs against the grain of Iowa, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; 52802, IA sits in the top quarter 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 52802 looks the way it does
High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, mostly because the housing stress common in those areas makes voting harder. 52802 sits in the top 15% nationally on a violent-crime measure. See CrimeGrade for more details. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 25% of adults in 52802 report food insecurity, above 88% of zip codes. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 82% of adults in 52802 have completed high school, below 87% 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.