Taylor County leans heavily Republican by roughly 50 points: about 25% of voters vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 92% of adults in Taylor County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Taylor County, ~23% vote Democratic, ~69% Republican, and ~8% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Taylor County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Taylor County leans more Republican than 10 of 14 neighbors.
Taylor County runs about 37 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Taylor County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+59) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+40), a spread of about 19 points.
Why Taylor 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 Taylor County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 16% of adults in Taylor County hold a bachelor's degree, about 8 points below the Iowa average of 24%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Taylor County, IA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Taylor County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Taylor 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 64%, above 75% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Adams County, IA R+46
- Worth County, MO R+64
- Ringgold County, IA R+50
- Page County, IA R+39
- Union County, IA R+33
- Nodaway County, MO R+38
- Montgomery County, IA R+41
- Gentry County, MO R+63
- Adair County, IA R+46
- Cass County, IA R+41
Counties with Similar Populations
- Chouteau County, MT R+24
- Pondera County, MT R+35
- Cumberland County, KY R+67
- Essex County, VT R+31
- Crowley County, CO R+47
- Sherman County, KS R+66
- Ohio County, IN R+58
- Stanton County, NE R+64
- Sullivan County, PA R+50
- Benson County, ND D+2
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.