Chelsea leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Chelsea typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Chelsea, ~19% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Chelsea compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Chelsea leans more Republican than 31 of 38 neighbors.
Chelsea runs about 32 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why Chelsea 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 Chelsea, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 9% of adults in Chelsea hold a bachelor's degree, about 15 points below the Iowa average of 24%.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with homeowner-heavy households tend to turn out at a higher rate; Chelsea, IA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Chelsea looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 97% of households in Chelsea own their home, about 16 points above the Iowa average of 81%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Irving, IA R+42
- Vining, IA R+45
- Belle Plaine, IA R+30
- Hartwick, IA R+47
- Elberon, IA R+45
- Tama, IA R+11
- Luzerne, IA R+42
- Koszta, IA R+46
- Toledo, IA R+13
- Brooklyn, IA R+44
Cities with Similar Populations
- Mount Gretna Heights, PA R+34
- Hooker, OH R+48
- Spainville, VA R+34
- Holyoke, MN R+22
- Browndell, TX R+70
- Keene, VA R+4
- Kauneonga Lake, NY R+25
- Lima, OK R+62
- Holliday, MO R+67
- Melvina, WI R+38
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.