Woodbury County leans slightly Republican by roughly 10 points: about 45% of voters vote Democratic and 55% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Woodbury County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Woodbury County, ~30% vote Democratic, ~36% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Woodbury County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Woodbury County leans more Republican than 2 of 14 neighbors.
Politically, Woodbury County sits close to the rest of Iowa.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Woodbury County. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+10) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+56), a spread of about 66 points.
Why Woodbury 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 Woodbury County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Woodbury County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 75%, far above the Iowa average of 16%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Woodbury County, IA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Woodbury County looks the way it does
Turnout in Woodbury County 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 Counties
- Dakota County, NE R+15
- Union County, SD R+43
- Plymouth County, IA R+49
- Thurston County, NE D+23
- Dixon County, NE R+56
- Monona County, IA R+46
- Clay County, SD D+2
- Wayne County, NE R+44
- Sioux County, IA R+55
- Cherokee County, IA R+42
Counties with Similar Populations
- Monongalia County, WV D+4
- Tompkins County, NY D+49
- Vigo County, IN R+12
- Eau Claire County, WI D+10
- Sumter County, SC D+9
- Walworth County, WI R+17
- Navajo County, AZ R+3
- Platte County, MO R+5
- Carver County, MN R+8
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK R+33
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.