Iowa leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Iowa typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Iowa, ~19% vote Democratic, ~53% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Iowa compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Iowa leans more Republican than 1 of 26 neighbors.
Iowa runs about 24 points more Republican than Louisiana as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Iowa. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+81) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+17), a spread of about 64 points.
Why Iowa 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 Iowa, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 83% of households in Iowa are family households, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 67%. Dense places usually vote Democratic, but Iowa runs against that pattern.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Iowa, LA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Iowa looks the way it does
Turnout in Iowa 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
- Manchester, LA R+71
- Woodlawn, LA R+80
- Lacassine, LA R+75
- Holmwood, LA R+77
- Fenton, LA R+67
- Hayes, LA R+82
- Moss Bluff, LA R+62
- Lake Charles, LA R+6
- Bell City, LA R+84
- Welsh, LA R+58
Cities with Similar Populations
- Freedom, CA D+40
- Tickfaw, LA R+38
- Des Peres, MO Even
- Glencoe, IL D+47
- Chugiak, AK R+5
- Helena-West Helena, AR D+44
- Slinger, WI R+33
- Milltown, NJ R+8
- Medford, WI R+39
- Twin Lake, MI R+26
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Louisiana 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.