Grinnell is a true toss-up. About 50% of voters here vote Democratic and 50% Republican.
About 96% of adults in Grinnell typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Grinnell, ~48% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~4% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Grinnell compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Grinnell sits roughly in the middle of the political spectrum, with 0 neighbors leaning further in the place's direction and 43 leaning the other way.
Grinnell runs about 13 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Grinnell. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+24) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+47), a spread of about 70 points.
Why Grinnell leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Grinnell. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a low uninsured rate tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Grinnell, IA does.
Why turnout in Grinnell looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Grinnell 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 96% of adults in Grinnell have completed high school, above 81% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Oakland Acres, IA R+35
- Newburg, IA R+33
- Sheridan, IA R+43
- Kellogg, IA R+46
- Malcom, IA R+46
- Gilman, IA R+37
- Lynnville, IA R+54
- Searsboro, IA R+42
- Sully, IA R+55
- Killduff, IA R+51
Cities with Similar Populations
- Elizabeth, PA R+27
- Carthage, NC R+38
- Bloomingdale, TN R+57
- Albion, NY R+17
- Beverly Hills, MI D+25
- Peru, IL R+10
- Nuevo, CA R+22
- Fulton, MS R+66
- Westville, NJ D+7
- Jacinto City, TX D+8
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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.