† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupGrinnellIowaUnited States
German29.6%30.5%12.5%
Irish11.0%12.8%9.4%
English10.1%10.2%9.5%
Dutch6.3%2.7%—
American5.1%4.6%5.3%
Norwegian3.8%4.1%—
Scottish2.6%—1.3%
Italian2.3%1.6%4.8%
Mexican2.1%5.0%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.2%0.3%1.8%
Honduran0.2%0.2%0.3%
Spanish0.2%——
Korean1.4%0.2%0.4%
Chinese1.0%0.3%1.3%
Asian Indian0.6%0.5%1.4%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Grinnell
Iowa
United States
Median age
36.5
38.8
39.1
Age 18–24
20.7%
10.0%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
21.4%
18.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Grinnell
Iowa
United States
Median household income
$65,320
$75,059
$84,427
Poverty rate
11.1%
11.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
37.5%
31.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Grinnell
Iowa
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
8.0%
9.2%
22.3%
Spanish
2.0%
4.7%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
1.9%
0.6%
2.0%
Religious landscape
Measure
Grinnell
Iowa
United States
Catholic
—
14.7%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
10.9%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
55.2%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Grinnell, Iowa
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+22.6%
2008
+33.2%
2012
+32.1%
2016
+28.5%
2020
+22.8%
2024
+18.9%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
58.3%Harris2,728
39.5%Trump1,845
2.2%
D+18.9
R+4.0
D+20.4
4,676
D
60.5%Biden2,892
37.6%Trump1,799
1.9%
D+22.8
R+5.7
D+18.4
4,784
D
61.1%Clinton3,047
32.6%Trump1,626
6.3%
D+28.5
R+3.6
D+26.4
4,986
D
65.1%Obama3,235
33.0%Romney1,638
2.0%
D+32.1
R+1.0
D+28.3
4,970
D
65.7%Obama3,427
32.5%McCain1,697
1.8%
D+33.2
D+10.6
D+25.9
5,216
D
61.2%Kerry3,093
38.6%Bush1,952
0.2%
D+22.6
—
D+25.0
5,054
Grinnell's voting patterns diverge noticeably from surrounding Poweshiek County, driven in part by a college community that skews younger and more highly educated than the rural townships encircling it.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 33.2 points in 2008. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 4.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 18.9 points.
A population of 9,505, a 87% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $65,320 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Decorah and Dodgeville.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Grinnell, Iowa voted Democratic by 18.9 points (D+18.9), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 4,676 votes cast, 2,728 went Democratic and 1,845 went Republican.
How many people live in Grinnell, Iowa?
Grinnell, Iowa has a population of 9,505 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Grinnell, Iowa?
Median household income in Grinnell, Iowa is $65,320 — below the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of Grinnell, Iowa?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Grinnell, Iowa from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
