Rock Falls leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Rock Falls typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rock Falls, ~27% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rock Falls compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Rock Falls leans more Republican than 15 of 45 neighbors.
Rock Falls runs about 23 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why Rock Falls 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 Rock Falls, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Rock Falls, about 97% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 8 points below the Iowa average of 24%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 75% of households in Rock Falls are family households, above 76% of cities.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Rock Falls, IA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Rock Falls looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Rock Falls 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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Rock Falls have completed high school, above 91% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Plymouth, IA R+36
- Portland, IA R+22
- Nora Springs, IA R+37
- Freeman, IA R+38
- Mason City, IA R+9
- Manly, IA R+34
- Grafton, IA R+36
- Hanford, IA R+40
- Rock Creek, IA R+41
- Emery, IA R+33
Cities with Similar Populations
- Everest, KS R+59
- Curriers, NY R+52
- Stuckey, GA R+23
- Rock Hill, LA R+71
- Middle Brook, MO R+64
- Bannock, OH R+48
- Scranton, NC R+42
- Tarsney Lakes, MO R+43
- Livingston, SC R+27
- Nichburg, AL 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.