state house districtIowa 81st State House District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004D+9.2
2008D+21.1
2012D+24.0
2016D+7.3
2020D+8.9
2024D+1.3
net swing · 2004→2024R+8.0D+9.2 → D+1.3
vs. U.S. · 2024D+2.7D+1.3 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 64.6% of 23,784 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
7,650
7,457
251
15,358
23,784
64.6%
2020
8,551
7,119
342
16,012
23,354†
68.6%
2016
7,584
6,471
1,152
15,207
23,059†
65.9%
2012
9,830
5,975
242
16,047
22,200†
72.3%
2008
9,147
5,929
176
15,252
21,638†
70.5%
2004
7,874
6,542
23
14,439
21,075†
68.5%
† 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 81IowaUnited States
German29.5%30.5%12.5%
Irish14.8%12.8%9.4%
English10.0%10.2%9.5%
American3.2%4.6%5.3%
Swedish2.8%1.9%—
Italian2.3%1.6%4.8%
Polish1.9%—2.2%
Norwegian1.9%4.1%—
African American†10.3%2.6%9.9%
African1.2%0.3%0.5%
Jamaican0.3%—0.4%
Mexican6.3%5.0%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.3%0.3%1.8%
Asian Indian1.1%0.5%1.4%
Chinese0.4%0.3%1.3%
Vietnamese0.4%0.3%0.6%
Korean0.3%0.2%0.4%
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 HD 81
Iowa
United States
Median age
39.5
38.8
39.1
Age 18–24
8.4%
10.0%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
17.4%
18.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
IA HD 81
Iowa
United States
Median household income
$74,177
$75,059
$84,427
Poverty rate
11.4%
11.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
36.6%
31.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
IA HD 81
Iowa
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
7.0%
9.2%
22.3%
Spanish
2.8%
4.7%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
IA HD 81
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 81st State House District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+9.2%
2008
+21.1%
2012
+24.0%
2016
+7.3%
2020
+8.9%
2024
+1.3%
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
49.8%Harris7,650
48.6%Trump7,457
1.6%
D+1.3
R+7.7
D+2.7
15,358
D
53.4%Biden8,551
44.5%Trump7,119
2.1%
D+8.9
D+1.6
D+4.5
16,012
D
49.9%Clinton7,584
42.6%Trump6,471
7.6%
D+7.3
R+16.7
D+5.2
15,207
D
61.3%Obama9,830
37.2%Romney5,975
1.5%
D+24.0
D+2.9
D+20.2
16,047
D
60.0%Obama9,147
38.9%McCain5,929
1.2%
D+21.1
D+11.9
D+13.8
15,252
D
54.5%Kerry7,874
45.3%Bush6,542
0.2%
D+9.2
—
D+11.7
14,439
current representation
Current officeholders
DDan GosaState House · 81
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
With a 47-point Republican presidential margin in 2024, this rural Iowa district ranks among the state's most politically uniform constituencies, reflecting the broader rural realignment that has reshaped Iowa's electoral map over the past decade.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 24.0 points in 2012. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 7.7 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 1.3 points.
A population of 32,052, a 72% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $74,177 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State House District 98 and State House District 61.
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 81st State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/19081/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Iowa 81st State House District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Iowa 81st State House District voted Democratic by 1.3 points (D+1.3), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 15,358 votes cast, 7,650 went Democratic and 7,457 went Republican.
How many people live in Iowa 81st State House District?
Iowa 81st State House District has a population of 32,052 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Iowa 81st State House District?
Median household income in Iowa 81st State House District is $74,177 — below the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of Iowa 81st State House District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Iowa 81st State House District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
