akashic
1876–2024
Congressional District 3·Iowa

Iowa 3rd Congressional District delivered R+4 in 2024.

Des Moines anchors a suburban district trending toward single digits

2008 — 2024·5 elections
IA
LatestR+4in 2024
TypologyIndustrial Catholic Metrocluster typology
Population816,3782024 ACS

Iowa 3rd Congressional District: Industrial Catholic Metro district. In 2024, voted R+4%. Democratic peak: D+7 in 2008.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+4MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
Population
816,3782024 5-year
Median household income
$81,9152024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
80.6%2024 5-year
Black
5.3%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
8.7%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+7 in 2008MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+4 in 2024MIT Election Lab
DW-NOMINATE
Member ideology
R
NUNN, ZachCongress 119 · Republican
DW-NOMINATE first-dimension (economic) score0.29 sits at approximately the 65th percentile.00.29−1 liberal+1 conservative
NUNN scores 0.29 on the first NOMINATE dimension (−1 most liberal, +1 most conservative).

Predecessors: AXNE, Cynthia (2021–2023), AXNE, Cynthia (2019–2021), YOUNG, David (2017–2019), YOUNG, David (2015–2017)

Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
2024 presidential election
Congressional District 3
TrumpR+4
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Congressional District 3, IAA map of the constituent counties of Congressional District 3, IA, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic).Union County, IA · R+36Adams County, IA · R+44Montgomery County, IA · R+39Lucas County, IA · R+48Monroe County, IA · R+51Clarke County, IA · R+42Ringgold County, IA · R+51Decatur County, IA · R+47Wayne County, IA · R+57Appanoose County, IA · R+47Davis County, IA · R+54Taylor County, IA · R+56Page County, IA · R+42Madison County, IA · R+38Guthrie County, IA · R+38Greene County, IA · R+33Adair County, IA · R+45Cass County, IA · R+41Dallas County, IA · R+5Wapello County, IA · R+31Polk County, IA · D+11Warren County, IA · R+21
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Donald Trump ✓Republican51.3%217,645
Kamala HarrisDemocratic46.9%199,043
OtherAll other candidates1.7%7,338
D+60
R+60
22 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Districts are drawn from fractional county slices; this map shows the whole counties that overlap the district. District boundaries: TIGER 2024.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2008–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 2008 to 2024. Most recent: −4.4% in 2024.flipped R · 2016−4.4%DR20082024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
2008+7.5%
2012+5.9%
2016−3.0%
2020−0.3%
2024−4.4%
DemocraticRepublican
5 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−4.4%
199,043217,645424,026
R
−0.3%
205,591207,043421,197
R
−3.0%
165,874177,109370,226
D
+5.9%
191,388169,935361,323
D
+7.5%
184,672158,459351,696
Congressional elections · 16 Senate races

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
YearWonD %R %Total
2022R43.3%55.4%1,230,416
2020R44.4%50.9%1,700,130
2016R35.7%60.1%1,541,036
2014R43.8%52.1%1,129,700
2010R33.3%64.4%1,116,063
2008D62.7%37.3%1,502,918
2004R27.9%70.2%1,479,228
2002D54.2%43.8%1,023,075
1998R30.5%68.4%947,907
1996D51.8%46.7%1,224,054
1992R27.2%69.6%1,292,494
1990D54.5%45.4%983,933
1986R33.6%66.0%891,762
1984D55.5%43.7%1,292,700
1980R45.5%53.5%1,276,986
1978R47.9%51.1%824,576

Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
25.0%
Irish
13.3%
English
12.3%
American
3.9%
Italian
2.8%
Scottish
1.8%
French
1.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 37.6 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.7%
85+
1.2%
1.9%
75–84
2.5%
4.5%
65–74
4.8%
5.8%
55–64
6.0%
6.1%
45–54
5.8%
7.1%
35–44
6.8%
7.1%
25–34
6.9%
4.3%
18–24
4.1%
9.2%
5–17
8.8%
3.3%
<5
3.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$81,915
Congressional District 3 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 3$81,915
Iowa$75,059
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
10.3%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1813.4%
Working age (18–64)9.3%
Seniors (65+)8.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
87.4%
speak English only
Spanish5.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander2.7%
Other Indo-European2.6%
Other languages1.5%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
11.6%
Mainline Protestant
10.2%
Other Christian
7.0%
Methodist
4.7%
Pentecostal & Holiness
2.5%
Baptist
2.0%
Non-Christian
1.8%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 60.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Iowa's 3rd covers the Des Moines metro and its fast-growing suburbs, where a 2020 presidential split has narrowed to R+3.9 in 2024, reflecting the competitive realignment reshaping Midwestern urban-suburban corridors.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of seven points in 2008 and a Republican high of four points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved four points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was four points.

A population of 816,378, a 81% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $81,915 describe the district.

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.
Congressional District 3, Iowa. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/1903/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Congressional District 3, Iowa vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 3, Iowa voted Republican by 4.4 points (R+4), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 424,026 votes cast, 199,043 went Democratic and 217,645 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 3, Iowa's political typology?
Akashic places Congressional District 3, Iowa in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 5 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 2 times, Republican 3 times, and other 0 times.
When did Congressional District 3, Iowa last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 3, Iowa voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Congressional District 3, Iowa?
Congressional District 3, Iowa has a population of 816,378 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 3, Iowa?
Median household income in Congressional District 3, Iowa is $81,915 — above the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of Congressional District 3, Iowa?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in Congressional District 3, Iowa from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 2 went Democratic and 3 went Republican. The district's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.