Council Bluffs leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Council Bluffs typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Council Bluffs, ~32% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Council Bluffs compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Council Bluffs leans more Republican than 8 of 48 neighbors.
Politically, Council Bluffs sits close to the rest of Iowa.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Council Bluffs. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+25) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+4), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Council Bluffs 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 Council Bluffs, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Council Bluffs votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 75%, far above the Iowa average of 16%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Council Bluffs, IA sits in the top 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 Council Bluffs looks the way it does
Turnout in Council Bluffs 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
- Carter Lake, IA R+15
- Weston, IA R+36
- Crescent, IA R+38
- Bellevue, NE R+2
- Mineola, IA R+37
- McClelland, IA R+47
- Ralston, NE Even
- Offutt AFB, NE R+5
- Omaha, NE D+2
- La Vista, NE R+5
Cities with Similar Populations
- Magnolia, TX R+50
- Lima, OH R+21
- Lilburn, GA D+15
- Bothell, WA D+29
- Euless, TX D+7
- Casas Adobes, AZ D+9
- Lexington, NC R+35
- Maple Grove, MN D+18
- Brandon, MS R+44
- Hammond, IN D+31
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.