Des Moines leans heavily Democratic by roughly 32 points: about 66% of voters vote Democratic and 34% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Des Moines typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Des Moines, ~42% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Des Moines compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Des Moines leans more Democratic than 76 of 104 neighbors.
Des Moines runs about 13 points more Democratic than Washington as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Des Moines. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+42) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+22), a spread of about 19 points.
Why Des Moines 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 Des Moines, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 91% of residents in Des Moines live in densely developed areas, about 55 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Des Moines sits in the top quarter (about 34%, above 80% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in Des Moines have never been married, above 90% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Des Moines, WA sits in the top 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 Des Moines looks the way it does
Turnout in Des Moines 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
- Normandy Park, WA D+30
- SeaTac, WA D+37
- Lakeland North, WA D+16
- Kent, WA D+28
- Burien, WA D+38
- Federal Way, WA D+31
- Tukwila, WA D+38
- East Hill-Meridian, WA D+24
- Vashon, WA D+51
- Bryn Mawr-Skyway, WA D+48
Cities with Similar Populations
- Liberty, MO R+13
- Pueblo West, CO R+28
- Dracut, MA Even
- West Odessa, TX R+46
- Dover, NH D+22
- Litchfield Park, AZ R+9
- Bixby, OK R+23
- West Falls Church, VA D+43
- Orangevale, CA R+10
- Sonoma, CA D+48
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Washington 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.