Moorhead leans heavily Republican by roughly 48 points: about 26% of voters vote Democratic and 74% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Moorhead typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Moorhead, ~22% vote Democratic, ~61% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Moorhead compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Moorhead leans more Republican than 12 of 33 neighbors.
Moorhead runs about 35 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why Moorhead leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Moorhead. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Moorhead, IA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Moorhead looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Moorhead 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%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Moorhead have completed high school, above 95% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Soldier, IA R+49
- Pisgah, IA R+46
- Turin, IA R+48
- Castana, IA R+49
- Blencoe, IA R+50
- Little Sioux, IA R+45
- Ute, IA R+53
- Dunlap, IA R+45
- Onawa, IA R+41
Cities with Similar Populations
- Levert, LA R+5
- Upperstrasburg, PA R+68
- Portia, AR R+72
- Torres, CO R+44
- Eagleton, WI R+36
- Thornwell, LA R+82
- Laughlintown, PA R+40
- Purcell, MO R+70
- Rindal, MN R+28
- Point Washington, FL R+62
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.