2024 results by precinct
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Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 4,896 | 9,479 | 14,583 | |
| 2020 | R | 5,821 | 9,516 | 15,633 | |
| 2016 | R | 5,594 | 8,715 | 15,277 | |
| 2012 | D | 8,663 | 6,789 | 15,770 | |
| 2008 | D | 8,820 | 6,663 | 15,931 | |
| 2004 | D | 9,125 | 7,403 | 16,707 | |
| 2000 | D | 8,355 | 6,313 | 15,139 | |
| 1996 | D | 8,437 | 4,828 | 14,770 | |
| 1992 | D | 8,670 | 4,852 | 16,083 | |
| 1988 | D | 10,177 | 5,350 | 15,673 | |
| 1984 | D | 10,545 | 7,098 | 17,800 | |
| 1980 | D | 8,923 | 7,475 | 17,668 | |
| 1976 | D | 10,249 | 6,786 | 17,268 | |
| 1972 | R | 8,348 | 9,301 | 18,171 | |
| 1968 | D | 9,375 | 7,825 | 18,647 | |
| 1964 | D | 13,971 | 5,524 | 19,546 | |
| 1960 | D | 11,116 | 11,036 | 22,167 | |
| 1956 | D | 10,960 | 10,401 | 21,381 | |
| 1952 | R | 10,449 | 11,571 | 22,150 | |
| 1948 | D | 10,841 | 7,875 | 18,976 | |
| 1944 | D | 10,732 | 8,244 | 19,089 | |
| 1940 | D | 11,880 | 9,039 | 21,006 | |
| 1936 | D | 10,578 | 7,647 | 18,512 | |
| 1932 | D | 9,504 | 7,256 | 17,076 | |
| 1928 | R | 5,793 | 11,586 | 17,528 | |
| 1924 | R | 3,039 | 9,870 | 17,329 | |
| 1920 | R | 4,131 | 9,884 | 14,537 | |
| 1916 | R | 3,994 | 4,398 | 9,229 | |
| 1912 | D | 3,102 | 2,755 | 8,470 | |
| 1908 | R | 3,724 | 4,541 | 8,959 | |
| 1904 | R | 2,473 | 4,912 | 8,105 | |
| 1900 | R | 3,902 | 4,742 | 8,912 | |
| 1896 | R | 4,041 | 4,319 | 8,510 | |
| 1892 | R | 3,380 | 3,643 | 7,804 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
Polish
1.2%
African American
2.4%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
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: 39.2 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$64,766
Wapello County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Wapello County$64,766
Iowa$75,059
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
15.8%
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
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 70.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Wapello County, anchored by Ottumwa along the Des Moines River, was a union-labor stronghold that backed Democrats into the 2000s; by 2024 it recorded an R+31 presidential margin, tracing one of Iowa's steepest partisan realignments.
The 2016 election was the turning point, when the Republican candidate carried the county by twenty points. The 2024 margin was thirty-one points, in line with the county's new direction.
The demographics suggest why. A population of 35,362, a 79% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $64,766 situate the county in the broader realignment patterns of recent cycles. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Boone County and Lee County.
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