Orleans leans heavily Republican by roughly 40 points: about 30% of voters vote Democratic and 70% Republican.
About 89% of adults in Orleans typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Orleans, ~27% vote Democratic, ~62% Republican, and ~11% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Orleans compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Orleans leans more Republican than 10 of 34 neighbors.
Orleans runs about 27 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why Orleans leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Orleans. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with low food insecurity tend to turn out at a higher rate; Orleans, IA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Orleans looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Orleans 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 74%, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 94% of households in Orleans own their home, about 19 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Orleans have completed high school, above 92% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Spirit Lake, IA R+30
- Triboji Beach, IA R+36
- Okoboji, IA R+20
- Arnolds Park, IA R+24
- Montgomery, IA R+53
- Wahpeton, IA R+18
- Superior, IA R+45
- West Okoboji, IA R+26
- Milford, IA R+36
- Petersburg, MN R+53
Cities with Similar Populations
- Pajaro, CA D+18
- Winona, OH R+57
- Schulte, KS R+48
- Juddville, MI R+33
- Oxford, NE R+73
- Centertown, KY R+69
- Midway, LA R+77
- Garvin, OK R+71
- Sanderson Corner, VT R+17
- Hawkeye, IA R+44
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.