Iron River leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Iron River typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Iron River, ~33% vote Democratic, ~43% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Iron River compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Iron River leans more Republican than 8 of 19 neighbors.
Iron River runs about 11 points more Republican than Wisconsin as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Iron River. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+6) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+14), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Iron River 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 Iron River, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Iron River live in densely developed areas, about 20 points below the Wisconsin average of 24%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Iron River, WI sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Iron River looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Iron River 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Iron River have completed high school, above 84% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Brule, WI R+9
- Waino, WI R+11
- Ino, WI R+16
- Port Wing, WI D+6
- Benoit, WI D+8
- Lake Nebagamon, WI R+18
- Maple, WI R+13
- Moquah, WI R+16
- Drummond, WI R+16
- Mason, WI R+24
Cities with Similar Populations
- Orleans, MI R+45
- Warrens, WI R+42
- Dresden, ME R+5
- Isle, MN R+37
- Todd, NC R+31
- Atlanta, IL R+48
- Lake, MS R+31
- Appalachia, VA R+62
- Gore, OK R+63
- Garretson, SD R+50
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Wisconsin Elections Commission, 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.