Fairground leans Democratic by roughly 20 points: about 60% of voters vote Democratic and 40% Republican.
About 57% of adults in Fairground typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Fairground, ~34% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Fairground compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Fairground leans more Democratic than 10 of 16 neighbors.
Fairground runs about 33 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Fairground is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Why Fairground leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Fairground, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Fairground live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 49% of adults in Fairground have never been married, above 81% of neighborhoods. Fairground runs against the grain of Iowa, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Fairground, Des Moines, IA does.
Why turnout in Fairground looks the way it does
Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout. About 7% of homes in Fairground have more than one occupant per room, above 84% of neighborhoods. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 78% of adults in Fairground have completed high school, below 87% of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Fairground sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Accent, Des Moines, IA D+9
- Fairmont Park, Des Moines, IA D+7
- Capitol Park, Des Moines, IA D+33
- Union Park, Des Moines, IA D+15
- Pioneer Park, Des Moines, IA D+22
- Douglas Acres, Des Moines, IA D+4
- Downtown Des Moines, Des Moines, IA D+53
- River Bend, Des Moines, IA D+45
- Indianola Hills, Des Moines, IA D+15
- Highland Park, Des Moines, IA D+19
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Linwood, Milwaukie, OR D+25
- Fulton, Montrose Heights, VA D+77
- Southeast Springfield, Springfield, MO Even
- Southside, Louisville, KY D+31
- Foothill Meadows, Sparks, NV R+20
- Downtown Tulsa, Tulsa, OK D+44
- South Addition, Anchorage, AK D+41
- Hillcrest, Spring Valley, NY R+10
- Royal Lakes, Jacksonville, FL D+13
- Csus, Sacramento, CA D+55
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.