Cedar County leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 92% of adults in Cedar County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cedar County, ~30% vote Democratic, ~62% Republican, and ~8% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Cedar County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Cedar County leans more Republican than 9 of 13 neighbors.
Cedar County runs about 21 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Cedar County. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+45) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+29), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Cedar County leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Cedar County. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Cedar County, IA sits in the top tenth 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 Cedar County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Cedar 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 82% of households in Cedar County own their home, above 89% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Cedar County have completed high school, above 95% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Muscatine County, IA R+16
- Johnson County, IA D+36
- Jones County, IA R+27
- Linn County, IA D+7
- Scott County, IA D+5
- Louisa County, IA R+37
- Rock Island County, IL D+12
- Washington County, IA R+33
- Jackson County, IA R+35
- Clinton County, IA R+21
Counties with Similar Populations
- Lamar County, GA R+36
- Fentress County, TN R+68
- Ste. Genevieve County, MO R+55
- Westmoreland County, VA R+14
- Yancey County, NC R+43
- Hampton County, SC D+9
- Appling County, GA R+53
- Randolph County, AR R+63
- Deaf Smith County, TX R+30
- Dickinson County, KS R+51
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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.