Monterey is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 54% of adults in Monterey typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Monterey, ~10% vote Democratic, ~44% Republican, and ~46% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Monterey compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Monterey leans more Republican than 33 of 46 neighbors.
Monterey runs about 51 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why Monterey 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 Monterey, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Monterey, more than 99% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 27 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 10% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 14 points below the Iowa average of 24%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Monterey, IA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Monterey looks the way it does
Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout. About 7% of homes in Monterey have more than one occupant per room, above 92% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Mark, IA R+62
- Moulton, IA R+53
- Paris, IA R+64
- Coatsville, MO R+69
- Savannah, IA R+61
- West Grove, IA R+61
- Glenwood, MO R+69
- Udell, IA R+51
- Lancaster, MO R+64
- Bloomfield, IA R+56
Cities with Similar Populations
- Zinnia, WV R+71
- Skinners Eddy, PA R+55
- Pleasant View, PA R+64
- Romona, IN R+54
- West Wellington, AL R+76
- Brewersville, AL D+50
- Aragon, NM R+33
- Smedley, IN R+64
- Kerr City, FL R+64
- Laurel, OR R+9
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.