congressional districtIowa 3rd Congressional District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004R+1.8
2008D+7.5
2012D+5.8
2016R+3.0
2020R+0.3
2024R+4.4
net swing · 2004→2024R+2.6R+1.8 → R+4.4
vs. U.S. · 2024R+2.9R+4.4 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 72.4% of 585,780 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
199,043
217,645
7,338
424,026
585,780
72.4%
2020
205,591
207,043
8,563
421,197
560,217†
75.2%
2016
165,874
177,109
27,243
370,226
531,202†
69.7%
2012
191,388
169,935
6,980
368,303
507,129†
72.6%
2008
184,672
158,459
8,565
351,696
491,930†
71.5%
2004
162,805
168,912
2,785
334,502
476,731†
70.2%
† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles from the constituent-county ACS trend anchored to the current figure. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
District by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupIA-3IowaUnited States
German25.8%30.5%12.5%
Irish13.7%12.8%9.4%
English12.7%10.2%9.5%
American4.0%4.6%5.3%
Norwegian3.3%4.1%—
Italian2.8%1.6%4.8%
Dutch2.7%2.7%—
Swedish2.6%1.9%—
Mexican5.4%5.0%11.3%
Salvadoran0.7%0.3%0.7%
Puerto Rican0.4%0.3%1.8%
Guatemalan0.3%0.4%0.5%
Honduran0.3%0.2%0.3%
African American†3.0%2.6%9.9%
Sudanese0.5%0.2%—
African0.4%0.3%0.5%
Liberian0.4%——
Somali0.2%——
Asian Indian0.8%0.5%1.4%
Burmese0.6%0.3%—
Vietnamese0.4%0.3%0.6%
Laotian0.4%0.2%—
Chinese0.3%0.3%1.3%
Korean0.2%0.2%0.4%
Nepalese0.2%——
Filipino0.2%0.2%0.9%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
IA-3
Iowa
United States
Median age
37.3
38.8
39.1
Age 18–24
8.4%
10.0%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
15.6%
18.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
IA-3
Iowa
United States
Median household income
$80,844
$75,059
$84,427
Poverty rate
10.3%
11.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
36.9%
31.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
IA-3
Iowa
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
12.6%
9.2%
22.3%
Spanish
5.7%
4.7%
13.6%
Other Asian & Pacific Island
1.8%
1.0%
1.1%
Other languages
1.0%
0.6%
0.8%
Religious landscape
Measure
IA-3
Iowa
United States
Catholic
—
14.7%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
10.9%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
55.2%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Iowa 3rd Congressional District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−1.8%
2008
+7.5%
2012
+5.8%
2016
−3.0%
2020
−0.3%
2024
−4.4%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Federal officeholders only. State and local officeholders are planned for the next data pass.
Congressional elections · 25 House races
U.S. House
Each result reflects the U.S. House district as it was drawn for that election; redistricting has redrawn these lines over time, so they can differ from the current 120th-Congress district shown on the map above.
Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), House. CC-BY 4.0.
Year
District
Won
Democratic
Republican
Total
2024
3
R
47.9%197,962
51.8%213,746
412,905
2022
3
R
49.6%154,117
50.3%156,262
310,913
2020
3
D
48.9%219,205
47.5%212,997
447,947
2018
3
D
49.3%175,642
47.1%167,933
356,241
2016
3
R
39.7%155,002
53.4%208,598
390,287
2014
3
R
42.2%119,109
52.8%148,814
282,066
2012
3
R
43.6%168,632
52.2%202,000
386,842
2010
3
D
50.7%122,147
46.5%111,925
240,756
2008
3
D
56.4%176,904
42.1%132,136
313,639
2006
3
D
51.9%115,769
46.5%103,722
223,082
2004
3
D
55.2%168,007
44.7%136,099
304,319
2002
3
D
53.4%115,367
45.0%97,285
215,985
2000
3
D
62.8%156,327
33.7%83,810
248,926
1998
3
D
56.9%107,947
41.2%78,063
189,684
1996
3
D
49.4%115,914
47.6%111,895
234,875
1994
3
R
41.0%79,310
57.8%111,862
193,531
1992
3
R
47.1%121,063
49.0%125,931
257,175
1990
3
D
99.2%100,947
0.0%0
101,780
1988
3
D
63.4%129,204
36.6%74,682
203,932
1986
3
D
54.6%83,504
45.4%69,386
152,920
1984
3
R
39.3%86,574
60.7%133,737
220,311
1982
3
R
44.5%83,581
55.5%104,072
187,675
1980
3
R
48.5%101,735
51.4%107,869
209,945
1978
3
R
25.2%34,880
74.8%103,659
138,539
1976
3
R
43.5%90,981
56.5%117,957
208,938
Iowa's 3rd covers the Des Moines metro and its fast-growing suburbs, where a 2020 presidential split has narrowed to R+3.9 in 2024, reflecting the competitive realignment reshaping Midwestern urban-suburban corridors.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 7.5 points in 2008 and a Republican high of 4.4 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 4.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 4.4 points.
A population of 797,551, a 79% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $80,844 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Congressional District 1 and Congressional District 7.
Akashic
Political twins — districts
The congressional districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
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Iowa 3rd Congressional District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/1903/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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How did Iowa 3rd Congressional District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Iowa 3rd Congressional District voted Republican by 4.4 points (R+4.4), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 424,026 votes cast, 199,043 went Democratic and 217,645 went Republican.
When did Iowa 3rd Congressional District last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Iowa 3rd Congressional District voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Iowa 3rd Congressional District?
Iowa 3rd Congressional District has a population of 797,551 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Iowa 3rd Congressional District?
Median household income in Iowa 3rd Congressional District is $80,844 — above the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of Iowa 3rd Congressional District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Iowa 3rd Congressional District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 2 went Democratic and 4 went Republican.
