Jefferson County, Iowa
Precinct data
Results by precinct
12 precincts · 8,317 votes
Precinct boundaries and identifiers are cycle-specific. This table does not join rows across years without a validated crosswalk.
| Precinct -Center Cedar Round PrairieCenter Cedar Round Prairie | 568 | 714 | 26 | 1,308 | 43.4% | 54.6% | R+11.2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precinct -Fairfield 1Fairfield 1 | 615 | 438 | 25 | 1,078 | 57.1% | 40.6% | D+16.4 |
| Precinct -Fairfield 2Fairfield 2 | 728 | 203 | 33 | 964 | 75.5% | 21.1% | D+54.5 |
| Precinct -Fairfield 5Fairfield 5 | 416 | 517 | 19 | 952 | 43.7% | 54.3% | R+10.6 |
| Precinct -Fairfield 4Fairfield 4 | 576 | 327 | 23 | 926 | 62.2% | 35.3% | D+26.9 |
| Precinct -Fairfield 3Fairfield 3 | 329 | 346 | 17 | 692 | 47.5% | 50.0% | R+2.5 |
| Precinct -Des Moines LibertyDes Moines Liberty | 115 | 448 | 3 | 566 | 20.3% | 79.2% | R+58.8 |
| Precinct -Blackhawk PolkBlackhawk Polk | 99 | 350 | 10 | 459 | 21.6% | 76.3% | R+54.7 |
| Precinct -Locust GroveLocust Grove | 79 | 280 | 5 | 364 | 21.7% | 76.9% | R+55.2 |
| Precinct -BuchananBuchanan | 115 | 241 | 3 | 359 | 32.0% | 67.1% | R+35.1 |
| Precinct -Walnut PennWalnut Penn | 90 | 263 | 6 | 359 | 25.1% | 73.3% | R+48.2 |
| Precinct -LockridgeLockridge | 58 | 226 | 6 | 290 | 20.0% | 77.9% | R+57.9 |
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −15.3% |
| 1896 | −16.3% |
| 1900 | −20.6% |
| 1904 | −30.9% |
| 1908 | −21.4% |
| 1912 | −1.8% |
| 1916 | −10.9% |
| 1920 | −50.9% |
| 1924 | −42.7% |
| 1928 | −38.7% |
| 1932 | +15.5% |
| 1936 | −4.4% |
| 1940 | −17.9% |
| 1944 | −19.2% |
| 1948 | −12.3% |
| 1952 | −38.8% |
| 1956 | −25.6% |
| 1960 | −28.0% |
| 1964 | +20.0% |
| 1968 | −24.8% |
| 1972 | −31.7% |
| 1976 | −5.1% |
| 1980 | −20.9% |
| 1984 | −22.9% |
| 1988 | −0.3% |
| 1992 | +0.3% |
| 1996 | +0.8% |
| 2000 | −5.1% |
| 2004 | +10.2% |
| 2008 | +20.2% |
| 2012 | +16.0% |
| 2016 | −0.5% |
| 2020 | −1.4% |
| 2024 | −6.8% |
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | R | 49.6%3,214 | 50.4%3,263 | 6,477 |
| 2020 | D | 51.7%4,547 | 45.6%4,008 | 8,798 |
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Jefferson County, IA registers Democratic but votes Republican — a 8.7-point gap between how voters register and how they vote, the signature of ancestral registration that trails realignment.
| Year | Total registered | Democratic | Republican | Unaffiliated | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 13,169 | 4,326 | 3,837 | 4,991 | 15 |
| 2010 | 13,188 | 4,047 | 4,137 | 4,969 | 35 |
| 2012 | 12,906 | 4,050 | 4,092 | 4,711 | 53 |
| 2014 | 11,729 | 3,847 | 3,719 | 4,086 | 77 |
| 2016 | 11,393 | 4,286 | 3,555 | 3,453 | 99 |
| 2018 | 11,299 | 4,522 | 3,361 | 3,296 | 120 |
| 2020 | 11,755 | 4,850 | 3,698 | 3,095 | 112 |
| 2022 | 11,545 | 4,502 | 3,823 | 3,111 | 109 |
| 2024 | 11,427 | 4,085 | 3,866 | 3,352 | 124 |
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
−256 net domestic migration · 2025
Net −1,660 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $54,300 in average income, against $73,901 for residents who stayed — 27% lower. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+40.3 on average — 34 points more Republican-leaning than Jefferson County, IA itself (R+6.8).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Wapello County, IA33R+31.4
- Van Buren County, IA26R+55.4
- Henry County, IA22R+35.9
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Wapello County, IA41
- Henry County, IA32
- Dallas County, TX30
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 | +63 |
| 2012 | −58 |
| 2013 | +3 |
| 2014 | −124 |
| 2015 | −152 |
| 2016 | −82 |
| 2017 | −75 |
| 2018 | −92 |
| 2019 | −74 |
| 2021 | +29 |
| 2022 | −283 |
| 2023 | −321 |
| 2024 | −238 |
| 2025 | −256 |
Jefferson County, home to Fairfield and the Maharishi University of Management, blends a small but visible meditation-community enclave with a broader rural population that has shifted Republican by double digits over the past two presidential cycles.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 20.2 points in 2008 and a Republican high of 50.9 points in 1920. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 5.4 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 6.8 points.
A population of 15,705, a 82% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $61,620 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Poweshiek County and Athens 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 →
Jefferson County, Iowa. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/19101/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.