Pioneer Park leans Democratic by roughly 22 points: about 61% of voters vote Democratic and 39% Republican.
About 39% of adults in Pioneer Park typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pioneer Park, ~24% vote Democratic, ~15% Republican, and ~61% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pioneer Park compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Pioneer Park leans more Democratic than 11 of 15 neighbors.
Pioneer Park runs about 36 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Pioneer Park is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Why Pioneer Park 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 Pioneer Park, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Pioneer Park votes against the grain of Iowa. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Pioneer Park runs about 36 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 53% of adults in Pioneer Park have never been married, above 86% of neighborhoods.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Pioneer Park, Des Moines, IA sits in the bottom 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 Pioneer Park looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Pioneer Park is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 31% of adults in Pioneer Park report food insecurity, above 84% of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Pioneer Park sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- South Park, Des Moines, IA D+14
- Indianola Hills, Des Moines, IA D+15
- Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines, IA D+4
- Fort des Moines, Des Moines, IA D+17
- Downtown Des Moines, Des Moines, IA D+53
- Fairground, Des Moines, IA D+19
- Greater South Side, Des Moines, IA D+12
- Capitol Park, Des Moines, IA D+33
- Accent, Des Moines, IA D+9
- Southwestern Hills, Des Moines, IA D+18
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Pleasant Acres, New Milford, NJ Even
- Arrowhead, Jacksonville, FL R+16
- Babcock, Buffalo, NY D+10
- Cedar-Isles-Dean, Minneapolis, MN D+65
- Merriwood, Oakland, CA D+64
- Wilmington Historic District, Wilmington, OH R+27
- New Village, New River, AZ R+30
- Bardonia, West Nyack, NY R+7
- Seven Oaks, Bakersfield, CA R+28
- Parkway, Albuquerque, NM D+6
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.