Derby is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Derby typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Derby, ~19% vote Democratic, ~61% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Derby compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Derby leans more Republican than 22 of 40 neighbors.
Derby runs about 39 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why Derby 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 Derby, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Derby live in densely developed areas, about 11 points below the Iowa average of 16%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Derby, IA sits in the bottom tenth 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 Derby looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Derby 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 95% of households in Derby own their home, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Le Roy, IA R+56
- Millerton, IA R+55
- Humeston, IA R+56
- Lucas, IA R+52
- Last Chance, IA R+51
- Chariton, IA R+38
- Garden Grove, IA R+61
- Oakley, IA R+50
- Russell, IA R+53
- Woodburn, IA R+51
Cities with Similar Populations
- Ione, GA R+61
- Chilcoot, CA R+42
- Dallas, IA R+45
- Kingville, AL R+70
- Bartlett, KS R+72
- Harris, TN R+65
- Melbeta, NE R+73
- St. James, IL R+69
- Newport, OK R+65
- Spratt, MI R+46
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.