Howard County leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 82% of adults in Howard County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Howard County, ~26% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~18% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Howard County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Howard County leans more Republican than 9 of 11 neighbors.
Howard County runs about 22 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Howard County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+48) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+23), a spread of about 25 points.
Why Howard County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Howard County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Howard County, about 93% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 5 points below the Iowa average of 24%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Howard County, IA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Howard County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Howard County 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 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Winneshiek County, IA R+13
- Chickasaw County, IA R+40
- Fillmore County, MN R+32
- Mitchell County, IA R+36
- Floyd County, IA R+30
- Mower County, MN R+13
- Allamakee County, IA R+32
- Fayette County, IA R+30
- Bremer County, IA R+25
- Houston County, MN R+21
Counties with Similar Populations
- Cheyenne County, NE R+58
- Latimer County, OK R+66
- Brown County, KS R+42
- Hamilton County, NE R+61
- Rice County, KS R+54
- Pipestone County, MN R+48
- Deer Lodge County, MT R+18
- McCormick County, SC R+5
- Yellow Medicine County, MN R+47
- Benewah County, ID R+60
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.