state house districtIowa 78th State House District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004D+26.0
2008D+36.5
2012D+36.7
2016D+31.6
2020D+37.9
2024D+32.5
net swing · 2004→2024D+6.5D+26.0 → D+32.5
vs. U.S. · 2024D+34.0D+32.5 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 59.8% of 24,546 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
9,577
4,798
313
14,688
24,546
59.8%
2020
10,859
4,767
428
16,054
23,812†
67.4%
2016
9,427
4,579
1,336
15,342
22,998†
66.7%
2012
10,792
4,919
304
16,015
22,281†
71.9%
2008
10,877
4,988
257
16,122
21,564†
74.8%
2004
9,642
5,655
30
15,327
20,847†
73.5%
† 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
Boundary 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 HD 78IowaUnited States
German27.8%30.5%12.5%
Irish12.9%12.8%9.4%
English10.6%10.2%9.5%
Czech4.2%——
Norwegian3.8%4.1%—
American3.5%4.6%5.3%
French1.7%—1.6%
Swedish1.7%1.9%—
African American†10.4%2.6%9.9%
African0.9%0.3%0.5%
Nigerian0.4%—0.2%
Sudanese0.4%0.2%—
Mexican3.6%5.0%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.4%0.3%1.8%
Guatemalan0.2%0.4%0.5%
Asian Indian0.5%0.5%1.4%
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 HD 78
Iowa
United States
Median age
37.3
38.8
39.1
Age 18–24
9.0%
10.0%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
17.3%
18.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
IA HD 78
Iowa
United States
Median household income
$64,198
$75,059
$84,427
Poverty rate
14.3%
11.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
34.7%
31.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
IA HD 78
Iowa
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
7.1%
9.2%
22.3%
Spanish
2.2%
4.7%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
IA HD 78
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 78th State House District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+26.0%
2008
+36.5%
2012
+36.7%
2016
+31.6%
2020
+37.9%
2024
+32.5%
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.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
65.2%Harris9,577
32.7%Trump4,798
2.1%
D+32.5
R+5.4
D+34.0
14,688
D
67.6%Biden10,859
29.7%Trump4,767
2.7%
D+37.9
D+6.3
D+33.5
16,054
D
61.4%Clinton9,427
29.8%Trump4,579
8.7%
D+31.6
R+5.1
D+29.5
15,342
D
67.4%Obama10,792
30.7%Romney4,919
1.9%
D+36.7
D+0.1
D+32.8
16,015
D
67.5%Obama10,877
30.9%McCain4,988
1.6%
D+36.5
D+10.5
D+29.3
16,122
D
62.9%Kerry9,642
36.9%Bush5,655
0.2%
D+26.0
—
D+28.5
15,327
current representation
Current officeholders
DAngel RamirezState House · 78
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
Anchored in a dense urban core, this district recorded a 32.5-point Democratic presidential margin in 2024, placing it among the state's most lopsided legislative constituencies and reflecting the concentration of younger, college-educated voters typical of Iowa's urban precincts.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 37.9 points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 5.4 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 32.5 points.
A population of 31,973, a 74% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $64,198 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State House District 79 and State House District 74.
Akashic
Political twins — state-house districts
The state-house 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 →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Iowa 78th State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/19078/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Iowa 78th State House District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Iowa 78th State House District voted Democratic by 32.5 points (D+32.5), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 14,688 votes cast, 9,577 went Democratic and 4,798 went Republican.
How many people live in Iowa 78th State House District?
Iowa 78th State House District has a population of 31,973 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Iowa 78th State House District?
Median household income in Iowa 78th State House District is $64,198 — below the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of Iowa 78th State House District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Iowa 78th State House District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
