Oakley leans heavily Republican by roughly 50 points: about 25% of voters vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Oakley typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Oakley, ~20% vote Democratic, ~61% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Oakley compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Oakley leans more Republican than 26 of 43 neighbors.
Oakley runs about 37 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why Oakley 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 Oakley, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Oakley live in densely developed areas, about 11 points below the Iowa average of 16%. A high white share with below-average college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Oakley fits that profile on both counts.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Oakley, IA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Oakley looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Oakley 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%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 98% of households in Oakley own their home, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Oakley have completed high school, above 81% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Newbern, IA R+48
- Lucas, IA R+52
- Chariton, IA R+38
- Norwood, IA R+51
- Williamson, IA R+52
- Lacona, IA R+46
- Liberty Center, IA R+45
- Melcher-Dallas, IA R+39
- Derby, IA R+52
- Melcher, IA R+45
Cities with Similar Populations
- Alger, WA R+23
- Graball, AL D+5
- Plain, WA R+6
- Dry Creek, WV R+76
- Little Hope, TX R+73
- Lake Harbor, FL D+50
- Marengo, NY R+41
- Dothan, TX R+73
- Lake Suzy, FL R+52
- Yankee Lake, OH R+41
All Local Stats
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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.