Decatur County, Iowa
Precinct data
Results by precinct
4 precincts · 3,727 votes
Precinct boundaries and identifiers are cycle-specific. This table does not join rows across years without a validated crosswalk.
| Precinct -LEON/ CE/ GR/ DE/ HP/ DECLEON/ CE/ GR/ DE/ HP/ DEC | 298 | 955 | 21 | 1,274 | 23.4% | 75.0% | R+51.6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precinct -BL/FA/LAMONIBL/FA/LAMONI | 405 | 627 | 15 | 1,047 | 38.7% | 59.9% | R+21.2 |
| Precinct -LC/ VW/ FR/ WE/ RL/ GG/ GRC/ GGC/ LRLC/ VW/ FR/ WE/ RL/ GG/ GRC/ GGC/ LR | 163 | 585 | 15 | 763 | 21.4% | 76.7% | R+55.3 |
| Precinct -BU/ NB/ DC/ HA/ MO/ PL/ ED/ WOBU/ NB/ DC/ HA/ MO/ PL/ ED/ WO | 91 | 544 | 8 | 643 | 14.2% | 84.6% | R+70.5 |
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −9.8% |
| 1896 | +2.0% |
| 1900 | −7.9% |
| 1904 | −21.2% |
| 1908 | −8.3% |
| 1912 | +7.8% |
| 1916 | +3.6% |
| 1920 | −23.3% |
| 1924 | −22.4% |
| 1928 | −19.0% |
| 1932 | +24.8% |
| 1936 | +10.7% |
| 1940 | +6.0% |
| 1944 | +6.1% |
| 1948 | +10.8% |
| 1952 | −17.8% |
| 1956 | −1.9% |
| 1960 | −11.5% |
| 1964 | +36.6% |
| 1968 | −4.4% |
| 1972 | −16.5% |
| 1976 | +16.3% |
| 1980 | −3.5% |
| 1984 | −0.1% |
| 1988 | +21.7% |
| 1992 | +13.8% |
| 1996 | +15.4% |
| 2000 | −6.2% |
| 2004 | −5.7% |
| 2008 | −0.8% |
| 2012 | −4.1% |
| 2016 | −28.9% |
| 2020 | −39.3% |
| 2024 | −46.9% |
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | R | 29.0%794 | 71.0%1,944 | 2,738 |
| 2020 | R | 31.2%1,165 | 65.3%2,439 | 3,737 |
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Registration leans Republican; the presidential vote runs 21 points more Democratic.
| Year | Total registered | Democratic | Republican | Unaffiliated | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 6,018 | 2,132 | 1,864 | 2,010 | 12 |
| 2010 | 5,977 | 2,025 | 1,912 | 2,027 | 13 |
| 2012 | 5,915 | 1,935 | 1,905 | 2,062 | 13 |
| 2014 | 5,796 | 1,814 | 1,842 | 2,127 | 13 |
| 2016 | 4,908 | 1,522 | 1,848 | 1,517 | 21 |
| 2018 | 4,941 | 1,465 | 1,869 | 1,569 | 38 |
| 2020 | 5,155 | 1,486 | 2,120 | 1,508 | 41 |
| 2022 | 4,955 | 1,271 | 2,167 | 1,479 | 38 |
| 2024 | 4,920 | 1,100 | 2,379 | 1,396 | 45 |
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
−24 net domestic migration · 2025
Net −696 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $34,697 in average income, against $62,671 for residents who stayed — 45% lower. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+41.9 on average — 5.0 points more Democratic-leaning than Decatur County, IA itself (R+46.9).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Clarke County, IA36R+41.9
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Polk County, IA36
- Clarke County, IA30
Migration is one input to a place’s political change, not its cause — a shift can also come from residents changing their minds, generational turnover, or turnout. These figures describe the places people moved between; they do not measure how any mover voted.
| Year | Net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2011 | −163 |
| 2012 | −15 |
| 2013 | −21 |
| 2014 | −6 |
| 2015 | −94 |
| 2016 | −101 |
| 2017 | −129 |
| 2018 | −73 |
| 2019 | −42 |
| 2021 | +69 |
| 2022 | +33 |
| 2023 | −27 |
| 2024 | −103 |
| 2025 | −24 |
Decatur County's small population and agricultural economy mirror the broader rural Iowa shift toward wide Republican margins — the 2024 gap of nearly 47 points reflects a voting pattern that has grown steadily since 2000.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 36.6 points in 1964 and a Republican high of 46.9 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 7.6 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 46.9 points.
A population of 7,759, a 90% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $59,044 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Pike County and Appanoose County.
The counties 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.
Browse places by community — income, education, race & ethnicity, language — all community cuts →
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 →
Decatur County, Iowa. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/19053/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.