Mount Sterling is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Mount Sterling typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Mount Sterling, ~18% vote Democratic, ~65% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Mount Sterling compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Mount Sterling leans more Republican than 18 of 47 neighbors.
Mount Sterling runs about 42 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why Mount Sterling 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 Mount Sterling, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Mount Sterling live in densely developed areas, about 11 points below the Iowa average of 16%.
Developed land and Republican lean
Places with a rural land-use pattern tend to lean Republican; Mount Sterling, IA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Developed land does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Mount Sterling looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 92% of households in Mount Sterling own their home, about 11 points above the Iowa average of 81%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lebanon, IA R+51
- Keosauqua, IA R+51
- Bonaparte, IA R+55
- Cantril, IA R+56
- Pittsburg, IA R+55
- Chambersburg, MO R+66
- Azen, MO R+72
- Mount Zion, IA R+51
- Farmington, IA R+53
- Milton, IA R+58
Cities with Similar Populations
- Toga, VA R+34
- Northwood, FL R+18
- Vandalia, NY R+32
- Dublin, AR R+65
- Perry, OR R+39
- Bremer, IA R+42
- Lustre, MT R+21
- Tyonek, AK D+27
- Walls, OK R+73
- Sunbury, IL R+49
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.