akashic
1876–2024
Union County, Iowa
Union County·Iowa

Union County has voted Republican for as long as anyone can remember.

A small south-central Iowa county where margins have widened each cycle

18762024·38 elections
Union County, Iowa · Scott Romine · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+36
in 2024
Archetype
Republican loyalist
since the recent cycles
Population
11,993
2024 ACS
Most similar
Delaware County
IA · similarity 0.99
9 precincts · 6,013 votes cast
Trump · R+36
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−36.1%
1,8744,0446,013
2020R
−31.5%
2,0614,0106,185
2016R
−27.2%
1,9223,5255,885
2012D
+3.9%
3,0432,8135,957
2008D
+3.7%
3,0002,7815,909
2004R
−7.0%
2,7473,1655,978
2000R
−8.1%
2,5403,0035,740
1996D
+11.2%
2,7872,1565,657
1992D
+5.6%
2,5652,2246,102
1988D
+8.0%
3,2362,7516,041
1984R
−10.8%
2,8753,5836,576
1980R
−19.9%
2,1823,3725,979
1976D
+1.4%
2,9552,8735,948
1972R
−27.1%
2,1123,7345,977
1968R
−20.8%
2,1373,3655,898
1964D
+19.9%
3,7512,5026,263
1960R
−23.8%
2,7204,4177,142
1956R
−24.5%
2,8284,6667,501
1952R
−38.1%
2,5665,7428,332
1948R
−12.4%
3,2184,1387,414
1944R
−22.9%
2,8614,5667,450
1940R
−25.3%
3,2295,4218,668
1936R
−8.2%
3,9384,6478,699
1932D
+13.0%
3,9673,0437,083
1928R
−34.2%
2,6515,4328,143
1924R
−39.3%
1,1664,2507,848
1920R
−32.9%
2,2284,4666,805
1916R
−1.6%
1,9852,0504,104
1912D
+11.1%
1,5281,0963,893
1908R
−8.6%
1,8432,2074,215
1904R
−31.4%
1,3222,6744,302
1900R
−5.0%
2,2182,4624,841
1896D
+4.9%
2,4252,1964,689
1892R
−9.9%
1,5081,9144,089
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%
Italian
0.6%
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.
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
11.3%
Mainline Protestant
8.9%
Methodist
5.7%
Other Christian
5.1%
Baptist
3.3%
Pentecostal & Holiness
0.6%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 65.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Union County's population has hovered near 12,000 for decades, and its predominantly rural, non-college workforce profile mirrors the demographic shift that has pushed its presidential margins steadily rightward since 2008.

The Republican margin in Union County reached its widest at thirty-nine points in 1924. The margin in 2024 was thirty-six points, in line with the county's deep historical pattern.

Union County's loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $57,772, a 93% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 11,993 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 Delaware County and Appanoose County.