Buffalo leans Republican by roughly 26 points: about 37% of voters vote Democratic and 63% Republican.
About 92% of adults in Buffalo typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Buffalo, ~34% vote Democratic, ~58% Republican, and ~8% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Buffalo compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Buffalo leans more Republican than 24 of 74 neighbors.
Buffalo runs about 13 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why Buffalo 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 Buffalo, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Buffalo votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 21%, about 15 points below the U.S. average of 36%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 76% of households in Buffalo are family households, above 78% of cities.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Buffalo, IA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Buffalo looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Buffalo 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 90% of households in Buffalo own their home, above 81% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Andalusia, IL R+21
- Blue Grass, IA R+28
- Taylor Ridge, IL R+32
- Montpelier, IA R+28
- Milan, IL R+9
- Rock Island, IL D+29
- New Era, IA R+27
- Oak Grove, IL R+20
- Reynolds, IL R+38
- Davenport, IA D+14
Cities with Similar Populations
- Middletown Springs, VT R+14
- Meadow Bridge, WV R+57
- Turners Station, KY R+57
- Marion, SD R+51
- Virginia City, NV R+37
- Bell City, LA R+84
- Braymer, MO R+57
- Baxter, KY R+68
- Surrency, GA R+50
- Selma, MO R+50
All Local Stats
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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.