Penn leans Democratic by roughly 24 points: about 62% of voters vote Democratic and 38% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Penn typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Penn, ~50% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Penn compares
Penn sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable neighborhoods nearby.
Penn runs about 36 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Penn is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Penn. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+37) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (Even), a spread of about 38 points.
Why Penn leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Penn, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Penn votes against the grain of Iowa. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Penn runs about 36 points more Democratic.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Penn, North Liberty, IA sits in the top tenth 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 Penn looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Penn 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 75%, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in Penn have completed high school, above 92% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Wickham, Coralville, IA D+34
- Kirkwood, Coralville, IA D+52
- Mann, Iowa City, IA D+51
- Weber, Iowa City, IA D+46
- Roosevelt, Iowa City, IA D+55
- Longfellow, Iowa City, IA D+48
- Twain, Iowa City, IA D+44
- Lucas, Iowa City, IA D+45
- Southwest Area, Cedar Rapids, IA D+21
- Taylor, Cedar Rapids, IA D+24
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Lasalle, Buffalo, NY D+78
- Burbank-Hayward, Hayward, CA D+42
- North End, Boise, ID D+57
- West Sugar Creek, Charlotte, NC D+71
- Lakeview, New Orleans, LA Even
- Foxhill, Hampton, VA R+16
- Henninger Park, Santa Ana, CA D+32
- Cleveland Heights, Oakland, CA D+74
- Cooper Mountain Aloha South, Beaverton, OR D+28
- Jefferson Park, Chicago, IL D+22
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.