Iowa State University, Ames, IA Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Iowa State University

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Iowa State University leans Democratic by roughly 22 points: about 61% of voters vote Democratic and 39% Republican.

 

About 58% of adults in Iowa State University typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Iowa State University, ~35% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Iowa State University compares

Iowa State University sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable neighborhoods nearby.

Iowa State University runs about 36 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Iowa State University is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by block within Iowa State University. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+36) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+14), a spread of about 22 points.

Why Iowa State University 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 Iowa State University, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 82% of adults in Iowa State University hold a bachelor's degree, about 53 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 96% of adults in Iowa State University have never been married, in the top fraction of neighborhoods. Iowa State University runs against the grain of Iowa, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.

Cancer-screening access and voter turnout

Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Iowa State University, Ames, IA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.

Why turnout in Iowa State University looks the way it does

Renters vote less often than owners. About 94% of households in Iowa State University rent, about 69 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and more than 99% of adults in Iowa State University have completed high school, above 92% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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.