Adams County leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Adams County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Adams County, ~21% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Adams County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Adams County leans more Republican than 8 of 13 neighbors.
Adams County runs about 32 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Adams County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+56) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+42), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Adams County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Adams County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Adams County 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%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Adams County, IA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Adams County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Adams County 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 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Adams County have completed high school, above 85% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Taylor County, IA R+50
- Union County, IA R+33
- Montgomery County, IA R+41
- Adair County, IA R+46
- Cass County, IA R+41
- Page County, IA R+39
- Ringgold County, IA R+50
- Worth County, MO R+64
- Madison County, IA R+41
- Nodaway County, MO R+38
Counties with Similar Populations
- Cavalier County, ND R+48
- Echols County, GA R+66
- Lyman County, SD R+5
- Norton City, VA R+39
- Sweet Grass County, MT R+54
- Fisher County, TX R+67
- Knox County, MO R+66
- Ellis County, OK R+77
- Hardin County, IL R+57
- Lake of the Woods County, MN R+40
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.