Dunbar leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Dunbar typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Dunbar, ~25% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Dunbar compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Dunbar leans more Republican than 12 of 45 neighbors.
Dunbar runs about 24 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Dunbar. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+41) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+12), a spread of about 29 points.
Why Dunbar leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Dunbar. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with low food insecurity tend to turn out at a higher rate; Dunbar, IA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Dunbar looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Dunbar 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Dunbar have completed high school, above 90% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Marshalltown, IA R+9
- Green Mountain, IA R+39
- Quarry, IA R+38
- Albion, IA R+39
- Marietta, IA R+38
- Le Grand, IA R+31
- Ferguson, IA R+42
- LaMoille, IA R+45
- Haverhill, IA R+47
- Liscomb, IA R+40
Cities with Similar Populations
- Moe, SD R+52
- Franklin Falls, NY D+11
- Lida, KY R+68
- Okauchee Lake, WI R+17
- Alum Bridge, WV R+67
- Scalf, KY R+73
- Bloomington, MD R+65
- Mangum, NC R+23
- New Harmony, MO R+69
- Vienna, SD R+64
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.