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Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque

Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque

Latest: 2024↓ R+5.1 vs 2020

Competitive — shifted 5.1pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 920K residents — 21 counties

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Race & ancestry
Group%
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
84.2%
▶Hispanic / Latino(17)
4.5%
▶Black / African American(14)
4.7%
▶Asian(6)
2.3%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10)
0.4%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)
0.3%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(2)
0.2%
Multiracial / Other
3.8%
View full demographics →
Religious adherence
Tradition% Pop% Adherents
Catholic18.5%40.0%
Mainline Protestant15.0%32.5%
Evangelical Protestant8.6%18.6%
Other2.8%6.1%
Black Protestant1.2%2.6%
LDS (Mormon)1.0%2.1%
Non-religious53.9%—
View full religion →
Presidential results
YearResult
2024Trump+1.7
2020Biden+3.4
2016Clinton+2.1
2012Obama+15.5
2008Obama+20.4
2004Kerry+8.6
2000Gore+7.9
1996Clinton+17.0
1992Clinton+10.7
View full election history →

Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque is a media market that has a population of 919,732. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+1.7. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.

Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque Presidential Election Results, 1948–2024
YearDem %Rep %MarginSwing
202448.3%50.0%R+1.7R+5.1
202050.7%47.2%D+3.4D+1.4
201646.9%44.9%D+2.1R+13.5
201256.9%41.3%D+15.5R+4.8
200859.4%39.0%D+20.4D+11.7
200453.9%45.3%D+8.6D+0.7
200052.1%44.2%D+7.9R+9.1
199653.9%36.9%D+17.0D+6.4
199244.8%34.1%D+10.7R+2.9
198856.4%42.8%D+13.5D+18.4
198447.1%52.0%R+4.8D+3.1
198040.3%48.2%R+7.9R+6.6
197648.1%49.4%R+1.4D+10.5
197243.2%55.0%R+11.8R+2.1
196842.5%52.2%R+9.7R+34.3
196462.2%37.6%D+24.6D+34.6
196045.0%54.9%R+10.0D+11.2
195639.2%60.4%R+21.2D+7.1
195235.6%63.9%R+28.3R+29.5
194849.6%48.5%D+1.2—
Political Identity

What defines Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque?

Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque flipped to Republicans in 2024 after voting the other way in 2020.

Constituent Counties

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Similarity Explorer

Similar media markets

Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.
8 visible matches
Constituent Geography

Counties in Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque

2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
CountyPop.MarginDemRepTotalShare
Linn230K
D+9.9
66,35854,237122,95925.0%
Johnson157K
D+37.8
58,84626,08786,64417.6%
Black Hawk131K
D+1.2
31,29930,57262,90612.8%
Dubuque99K
R+8.6
23,70528,22452,77010.7%
Benton26K
R+33.1
4,7399,54914,5092.9%
Bremer25K
R+22.1
5,5718,79914,6073.0%
Washington23K
R+24.4
4,2977,11911,5882.4%
Jones21K
R+26.2
3,9426,82010,9802.2%
Buchanan21K
R+28.1
3,7666,79010,7502.2%
Winneshiek20K
R+9.2
5,3216,42711,9792.4%
Fayette19K
R+30.4
3,3346,3259,8482.0%
Cedar18K
R+21.8
4,0756,39010,6442.2%
Delaware18K
R+39.5
2,9786,98410,1382.1%
Clayton17K
R+34.5
3,0176,2559,4001.9%
Tama17K
R+26.8
3,0705,3798,6161.8%
Iowa17K
R+27.7
3,4006,0689,6392.0%
Butler14K
R+45.2
2,1445,7848,0461.6%
Allamakee14K
R+34.3
2,3504,8577,3181.5%
Grundy12K
R+41.7
2,0194,9987,1461.5%
Chickasaw12K
R+37.1
1,9194,2346,2391.3%
Keokuk10K
R+51.5
1,2193,8695,1501.0%
21 countiesTotal votes: 491,876
Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque's political evolution with the Historian
Automated Readout

Key Insights

High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
  • The 2024 election was decided by just 1.7 points — razor-thin
  • Won by both parties in recent history — Democrats most recently in 2020, Republicans in 2024
  • Highly elastic — margins have ranged 22.1 points across recent elections, suggesting a volatile electorate
Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & DubuqueCensus ACS 2024Ancestry detail available
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
Expand rows for ancestry detail
White (Non-Hispanic) 84.2%Black 4.7%Hispanic 4.5%Multiracial 3.8%Asian 2.3%Native American 0.3%
GroupLocalNational
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
84.2%57.4%
▶Black / African American(14)
4.7%12.2%
▶Hispanic / Latino(17)
4.5%19.3%
Multiracial / Other
3.8%4.0%
▶Asian(6)
2.3%6.0%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10)
0.4%0.9%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)
0.3%0.9%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(2)
0.2%0.2%
Method notes

Census treats race and Hispanic/Latino origin as separate questions. Race categories other than Hispanic reflect total populations (small Hispanic overlap in Black, Asian, AIAN, NHPI). “Multiracial / Other” is derived as a non-overlapping remainder.

Click rows to expand ancestry detail. Ancestry from ACS B04006, B03001, B02020, B02016. Totals may differ from race — individuals can report multiple ancestries.

Black / African American (estimated remainder) is derived as Black population share minus reported Sub-Saharan African and West Indian ancestry. It is shown as an estimated ancestry detail, not a standalone Census ancestry category.

MENA estimated from ancestry reporting — Census does not have a separate MENA race category. Not shown in bar (overlaps with other race groups).

Religious Adherents

Population that are religious adherents:
46.1%(424.4K people)
U.S. Religion Census 2020
Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: +16.9pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Catholic-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Democratic-leaning urban and suburban communities.

Tradition% Pop% AdherentsUS PopUS Adherents
Catholic
18.5%40.0%——
Mainline Protestant
15.0%32.5%——
Evangelical Protestant
8.6%18.6%——
Other
2.8%6.1%——
Black Protestant
1.2%2.6%——
LDS (Mormon)
1.0%2.1%——
Non-religiousPopulation
53.9%———
Click the chevron to expand denominations. Tradition and denomination rows label both share of total population and share of all religious adherents. Non-religious is shown as a share of total population only.

Who lives in the Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque media market? 919,732 residents across 21 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque vs National920K residents
Population & electorate

Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.

Total population
Local vs state vs U.S.
920K
local
920KNational 334.9M
Share of U.S. population
Local vs state vs U.S.
0.27%
local
0.27%National 100%
Voting-age population
Local vs state vs U.S.
74.8%
local
74.8%National 75.7%
Economic profile

Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.

Median household income
Local vs state vs U.S.
$74,910
local
$74,910National $83,960
Poverty rate
Local vs state vs U.S.
11.5%
local
11.5%National 12.5%
College degree
Local vs state vs U.S.
34.0%
local
34.0%National 35.6%
Homeownership
Local vs state vs U.S.
72.0%
local
72.0%National 65.2%
Community profile

Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.

Median age
Local vs state vs U.S.
38.3 yrs
local
38.3 yrsNational 39.1 yrs
Age 18–29
Local vs state vs U.S.
17.9%
local
17.9%National 15.7%
Age 65+
Local vs state vs U.S.
18.2%
local
18.2%National 17.0%
Foreign born
Local vs state vs U.S.
5.0%
local
5.0%National 14.1%
Non-English at home
Local vs state vs U.S.
7.5%
local
7.5%National 22.2%
English only
Local vs state vs U.S.
92.5%
local
92.5%National 77.8%
Voter Turnout

Turnout in Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque

Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
2024 Turnout
71.5%
vs Previous
-1.3pp
Voting-Age Pop
687,984
History
1988–2024
Competitiveness

How competitive is Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque?

TossupAvg margin: D+1.3 (last 3 elections)
2008
D+20.4
2012
D+15.5
2016
D+2.1
2020
D+3.4
2024
R+1.7
Elasticity
22.1pp
margin range
Party Flips
1
last 30 years
5-Elec Avg
D+7.9
Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
ConsistencyHeavy splitting (10/100)
2022 Office Comparisons
OfficesMargin AMargin BSplit
Senate vs GovernorR+0.8R+7.06.1pp
Average divergence across office pairs: 15.7pp
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