West Branch leans Republican by roughly 26 points: about 37% of voters vote Democratic and 63% Republican.
About more than 99% of adults in West Branch typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in West Branch, ~39% vote Democratic, ~66% Republican, and ~-5% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How West Branch compares
Among cities within 25 miles, West Branch leans more Republican than 22 of 53 neighbors.
West Branch runs about 12 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within West Branch. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+37) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+20), a spread of about 17 points.
Why West Branch 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 West Branch, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
West Branch votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 31%, well above the Iowa average of 16%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; West Branch, IA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in West Branch looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. West Branch 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 96% of adults in West Branch have completed high school, above 87% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Oasis, IA R+11
- Springdale, IA R+37
- Downey, IA R+28
- Cedar Bluff, IA R+33
- West Liberty, IA R+7
- Morse, IA D+6
- Rochester, IA R+38
- Iowa City, IA D+48
- University Heights, IA D+61
- Atalissa, IA R+39
Cities with Similar Populations
- Garrison, TX R+56
- Fort Calhoun, NE R+40
- Weidman, MI R+35
- Huddleston, VA R+41
- Ravensdale, WA R+8
- Millbury, OH R+27
- Alexandria, OH R+39
- Rollinsford, NH D+4
- New York Mills, NY R+17
- North Falmouth, MA D+31
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.