Cedar Rapids leans Democratic by roughly 16 points: about 58% of voters vote Democratic and 42% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Cedar Rapids typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cedar Rapids, ~44% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Cedar Rapids compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Cedar Rapids leans more Democratic than 56 of 60 neighbors.
Cedar Rapids runs about 28 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Cedar Rapids is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Cedar Rapids. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+30) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (Even), a spread of about 29 points.
Why Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 83% of residents in Cedar Rapids live in densely developed areas, about 47 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Cedar Rapids sits in the top quarter (about 33%, above 79% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in Cedar Rapids have never been married, above 88% of cities.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Cedar Rapids, IA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Cedar Rapids looks the way it does
Turnout in Cedar Rapids sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Hiawatha, IA D+4
- Robins, IA R+6
- Marion, IA Even
- Fairfax, IA R+11
- Bertram, IA R+21
- Palo, IA R+27
- Troy Mills, IA R+11
- Ely, IA R+17
- Toddville, IA R+28
- Atkins, IA R+36
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lafayette, LA R+11
- Kalamazoo, MI D+29
- Miramar, FL D+37
- Everett, WA D+17
- Olympia, WA D+31
- Metairie, LA R+14
- West Valley City, UT D+8
- Fullerton, CA D+11
- Summerville, SC R+17
- Lansing, MI D+38
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.