Charleston leans heavily Republican by roughly 50 points: about 25% of voters vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Charleston typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Charleston, ~20% vote Democratic, ~58% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Charleston compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Charleston leans more Republican than 26 of 57 neighbors.
Charleston runs about 37 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why Charleston 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 Charleston, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 91% of residents in Charleston drive to work alone, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 78% of households in Charleston are family households, above 84% of cities.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Charleston, IA sits in the bottom 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 Charleston looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 94% of households in Charleston own their home, about 13 points above the Iowa average of 81%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Argyle, IA R+48
- Revere, MO R+63
- Montrose, IA R+41
- Summitville, IA R+39
- Mooar, IA R+41
- Wayland, MO R+60
- Donnellson, IA R+41
- Peaksville, MO R+66
- St. Francisville, MO R+60
- Clark City, MO R+62
Cities with Similar Populations
- Gulston, KY R+76
- Grassy Butte, ND R+76
- Goehner, NE R+64
- Charlesburg, WI R+50
- Rattigan, PA R+59
- New Holland Crossroads, SC R+67
- New Millport, PA R+66
- Angoon, AK D+15
- Hightower, AL R+87
- Pleasant Mound, IL R+63
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.