River Bend leans heavily Democratic by roughly 46 points: about 73% of voters vote Democratic and 27% Republican.
About 44% of adults in River Bend typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in River Bend, ~32% vote Democratic, ~12% Republican, and ~56% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How River Bend compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, River Bend leans more Democratic than 18 of 20 neighbors.
River Bend runs about 59 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole. Iowa leans Republican overall, while River Bend is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within River Bend. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+50) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+39), a spread of about 11 points.
Why River Bend 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 River Bend, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
River Bend votes against the grain of Iowa. Iowa leans Republican overall, while River Bend runs about 59 points more Democratic.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; River Bend, Des Moines, IA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in River Bend looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. River Bend is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 41%, about 27 points below the Iowa average of 68%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 45% of adults in River Bend report food insecurity, above 96% of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and River Bend sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Capitol Park, Des Moines, IA D+33
- Union Park, Des Moines, IA D+15
- Downtown Des Moines, Des Moines, IA D+53
- Drake, Des Moines, IA D+50
- Oak Park, Des Moines, IA D+27
- Highland Park, Des Moines, IA D+19
- Beaverdale, Des Moines, IA D+39
- Lower Beaver, Des Moines, IA D+23
- Fairmont Park, Des Moines, IA D+7
- Fairground, Des Moines, IA D+19
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Somerset Park, Willingboro, NJ D+65
- Young-Lilly, Springfield, MO R+27
- Kenny, Minneapolis, MN D+64
- Lincoln, Vancouver, WA D+44
- Spring Lake, Birmingham, AL D+68
- South Park, Seattle, WA D+50
- Mission Hills, El Paso, TX D+27
- Beacon Park, Meadow Woods, FL D+10
- Parkside, Portland, ME D+77
- Petersburg, Scranton, PA D+20
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.