Black Hawk County is a true toss-up. About 51% of voters here vote Democratic and 49% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Black Hawk County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Black Hawk County, ~38% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Black Hawk County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Black Hawk County sits roughly in the middle of the political spectrum, with 12 neighbors leaning further in the place's direction and 1 leaning the other way.
Black Hawk County runs about 16 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Black Hawk County sits closer to the political middle.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Black Hawk County. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+21) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+24), a spread of about 45 points.
Why Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Black Hawk County votes against the grain of Iowa. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Black Hawk County runs about 16 points more Democratic.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Black Hawk County, 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 Black Hawk County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Black Hawk 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 66%, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Bremer County, IA R+25
- Grundy County, IA R+42
- Buchanan County, IA R+36
- Butler County, IA R+43
- Tama County, IA R+25
- Benton County, IA R+36
- Fayette County, IA R+30
- Chickasaw County, IA R+40
- Marshall County, IA R+17
- Hardin County, IA R+40
Counties with Similar Populations
- Tazewell County, IL R+29
- Strafford County, NH D+4
- Pickens County, SC R+43
- Kendall County, IL Even
- Madison County, IN R+25
- Wood County, OH R+11
- Rapides Parish, LA R+24
- Washington County, RI D+11
- Sumter County, FL R+31
- Skagit County, WA D+4
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.