Rutland is a Republican stronghold. About 23% of voters here vote Democratic and 77% Republican.
About 85% of adults in Rutland typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rutland, ~20% vote Democratic, ~65% Republican, and ~15% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rutland compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Rutland leans more Republican than 29 of 43 neighbors.
Rutland runs about 40 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why Rutland 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 Rutland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Rutland, about 96% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 10 points below the Iowa average of 24%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 75% of households in Rutland are family households, above 76% of cities.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Rutland, IA sits in the bottom quarter 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 Rutland looks the way it does
Turnout in Rutland sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Humboldt, IA R+36
- Dakota City, IA R+41
- Bradgate, IA R+54
- Gilmore City, IA R+53
- Bode, IA R+55
- Livermore, IA R+56
- Pioneer, IA R+52
- Ottosen, IA R+54
- St. Joseph, IA R+54
- Hardy, IA R+54
Cities with Similar Populations
- Hardy, NE R+65
- Thornfield, MO R+67
- Marshville, WV R+60
- Ceylon, PA R+51
- Wasola, MO R+71
- St. Patrick, MO R+60
- Rockton, WV R+61
- Riverdale, DE R+16
- Filson, IL R+55
- Farill, AL R+74
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.