Webster County's industrial pivot shapes a closely watched Iowa bellwether
Fort Dodge anchors a mid-size metro where meatpacking, gypsum mining, and healthcare employment create a blue-collar electorate that has swung both parties' way in recent presidential cycles by margins worth tracking.
| Group | Fort Dodge, IA | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 88.9% | 57.4% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(11) | 4.1% | 19.3% |
▶Black / African American(8) | 3.8% | 12.2% |
Multiracial / Other | 2.0% | 4.0% |
▶Asian(6) | 1.0% | 6.0% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(1) | 0.2% | 0.9% |
Catholic-Evangelical edge: +5.0pp (vs national 4.5pp). A moderate religious balance between Catholic and Evangelical traditions.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.5% | 39.1% | — | — | |
| 16.7% | 33.4% | — | — | |
| 11.9% | 23.9% | — | — | |
| 1.4% | 2.8% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 0.9% | 1.8% | — | — |
| 0.4% | 0.9% | — | — | |
Non-religiousPopulation | 50.1% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Fort Dodge, IA metro area? 152,629 residents across 4 counties.
19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 14pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+15 on average nationally.
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate vs Governor | R+28.9 | R+35.3 | 6.4pp |