Scott County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Scott County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Scott County, ~42% vote Democratic, ~38% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Scott County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Scott County leans more Democratic than 11 of 12 neighbors.
Scott County runs about 18 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Scott County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Scott County. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+33) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+11), a spread of about 44 points.
Why Scott County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Scott County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 77% of residents in Scott County live in densely developed areas, about 40 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Scott County sits in the top quarter (about 37%, above 88% of counties). Scott County runs against the grain of Iowa, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Scott County, 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 Scott County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Scott County 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Scott County have completed high school, above 84% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Rock Island County, IL D+12
- Clinton County, IA R+21
- Mercer County, IL R+33
- Henry County, IL R+24
- Muscatine County, IA R+16
- Cedar County, IA R+34
- Jackson County, IA R+35
- Whiteside County, IL R+20
- Louisa County, IA R+37
- Knox County, IL R+9
Counties with Similar Populations
- Hendricks County, IN R+20
- Lee County, AL R+13
- Bay County, FL R+35
- Muskegon County, MI Even
- Porter County, IN R+11
- Carroll County, MD R+24
- Guadalupe County, TX R+23
- Winnebago County, WI R+3
- Alamance County, NC R+4
- Kootenai County, ID R+46
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.