Palo Alto County, Iowa

2024 results by precinct

8 precincts · 4,982 votes cast

Trump · R+45

Harris +50

Trump +50

Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.

38 presidential elections

Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	−44.9%	1,338	3,576	4,982
2020	R	−37.3%	1,519	3,370	4,958
2016	R	−35.4%	1,398	3,081	4,760
2012	R	−10.7%	2,139	2,660	4,887
2008	D	+2.8%	2,428	2,294	4,806
2004	R	−3.7%	2,482	2,674	5,191
2000	R	−0.3%	2,326	2,341	4,823
1996	D	+11.8%	2,371	1,817	4,703
1992	D	+10.9%	2,374	1,789	5,379
1988	D	+24.5%	3,377	2,041	5,463
1984	D	+5.2%	3,018	2,715	5,810
1980	R	−9.4%	2,463	3,025	5,968
1976	D	+9.5%	3,182	2,623	5,904
1972	R	−4.9%	2,845	3,141	6,066
1968	R	−3.9%	2,874	3,114	6,223
1964	D	+33.6%	4,441	2,206	6,647
1960	D	+2.0%	3,695	3,551	7,249
1956	R	−2.3%	3,624	3,795	7,421
1952	R	−21.1%	2,993	4,595	7,597
1948	D	+19.1%	3,858	2,594	6,601
1944	D	+14.6%	3,726	2,772	6,533
1940	D	+14.8%	4,482	3,322	7,822
1936	D	+25.9%	4,515	2,613	7,333
1932	D	+26.1%	4,094	2,378	6,568
1928	R	−9.8%	2,843	3,463	6,355
1924	R	−39.5%	593	2,943	5,947
1920	R	−44.6%	1,467	3,904	5,466
1916	D	+1.1%	1,630	1,594	3,287
1912	D	+10.2%	1,274	953	3,145
1908	R	−9.6%	1,340	1,639	3,103
1904	R	−29.1%	1,081	1,999	3,157
1900	R	−12.5%	1,477	1,908	3,440
1896	R	−1.5%	1,547	1,595	3,190
1892	R	−0.4%	1,101	1,110	2,382
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.

American

100.0%

African American

1.3%

Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.

Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.

American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.

Age distribution by sex

Median age: 41.9 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

1.7%

85+

2.6%

2.3%

75–84

3.3%

6.1%

65–74

6.3%

6.8%

55–64

6.7%

4.9%

45–54

5.1%

6.3%

35–44

5.3%

5.9%

25–34

4.9%

4.7%

18–24

4.0%

8.7%

5–17

8.6%

3.2%

2.7%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Median household income

2024 inflation-adjusted dollars

$72,781

Palo Alto County ranks near the middle of US counties.

Palo Alto County$72,781

Iowa$75,059

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

11.6%

Children face moderate poverty.

Children under 1818.0%

Working age (18–64)100.0%

Seniors (65+)18.0%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

0.0%

speak English only

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Catholic & Orthodox

24.1%

Mainline Protestant

21.5%

Methodist

10.9%

Pentecostal & Holiness

0.4%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 43.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Palo Alto County's roughly 10,000 residents are concentrated in small agricultural towns, and its R+44.9 presidential margin in 2024 reflects a long realignment in Iowa's northwest quadrant away from its once-competitive swing-county status.

The Republican margin in Palo Alto County reached its widest at forty-five points in 2024. The margin in 2024 was forty-five points, in line with the county's deep historical pattern.

Palo Alto County's loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $72,781, a 92% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 8,863 together describe a community whose political habits are deeply settled. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Monroe County and Mountrail County.

Most similar counties

Palo Alto County has voted Republican for as long as anyone can remember.