Spirit Lake leans Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About more than 99% of adults in Spirit Lake typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Spirit Lake, ~35% vote Democratic, ~64% Republican, and ~1% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Spirit Lake compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Spirit Lake leans more Republican than 6 of 35 neighbors.
Spirit Lake runs about 17 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Spirit Lake. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+37) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+23), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Spirit Lake 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 Spirit Lake, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Spirit Lake votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 46%, far above the Iowa average of 16%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Spirit Lake, IA sits in the top 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 Spirit Lake looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Spirit Lake 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Spirit Lake have completed high school, above 82% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Okoboji, IA R+20
- Orleans, IA R+40
- Triboji Beach, IA R+36
- Arnolds Park, IA R+24
- Wahpeton, IA R+18
- West Okoboji, IA R+26
- Montgomery, IA R+53
- Milford, IA R+36
- Superior, IA R+45
- Old Town, IA R+53
Cities with Similar Populations
- Cold Spring, MN R+39
- Galesburg, MI R+11
- Fairfield, IL R+56
- Harbor Springs, MI R+3
- Ligonier, PA R+31
- Springville, NY R+25
- Blanchard, LA R+61
- Roseland, NJ Even
- North Hobbs, NM R+66
- Summerdale, AL R+73
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.