Ames, IA Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Ames

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Ames leans Democratic by roughly 28 points: about 64% of voters vote Democratic and 36% Republican.

 

About 70% of adults in Ames typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ames, ~45% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Ames compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Ames is the most Democratic-leaning.

Ames runs about 40 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Ames is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Ames. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+52) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+16), a spread of about 37 points.

Why Ames leans the way it does

This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Ames, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. About 79% of residents in Ames live in densely developed areas, about 43 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Ames sits in the top quarter (about 65%, above 98% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 59% of adults in Ames have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.

Population density and Democratic lean

Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Ames, IA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.

Why turnout in Ames looks the way it does

Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 97% of adults in Ames have completed high school, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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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.