Muscatine County leans Republican by roughly 16 points: about 42% of voters vote Democratic and 58% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Muscatine County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Muscatine County, ~34% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Muscatine County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Muscatine County leans more Republican than 5 of 15 neighbors.
Politically, Muscatine County sits close to the rest of Iowa.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Muscatine County. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+38) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+7), a spread of about 31 points.
Why Muscatine County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Muscatine County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Muscatine County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 50%, far above the Iowa average of 16%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Muscatine County, IA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Muscatine County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Muscatine County 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 65%, about 5 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Louisa County, IA R+37
- Cedar County, IA R+34
- Mercer County, IL R+33
- Scott County, IA D+5
- Johnson County, IA D+36
- Rock Island County, IL D+12
- Washington County, IA R+33
- Henry County, IA R+31
- Des Moines County, IA R+8
- Henderson County, IL R+41
Counties with Similar Populations
- DeKalb County, IN R+49
- Chesterfield County, SC R+28
- Highland County, OH R+61
- Cerro Gordo County, IA R+18
- Jackson County, NC R+18
- Coffee County, GA R+35
- Sullivan County, NH R+16
- Prince George County, VA R+2
- Suwannee County, FL R+58
- Pettis County, MO R+43
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.