† 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
GroupHarlanIowaUnited States
German36.9%30.5%12.5%
Irish10.2%12.8%9.4%
Danish9.1%——
English6.2%10.2%9.5%
American3.4%4.6%5.3%
Norwegian2.5%4.1%—
Swedish2.0%1.9%—
Dutch1.7%2.7%—
Mexican3.7%5.0%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.7%0.3%1.8%
Cuban0.2%—0.7%
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
Harlan
Iowa
United States
Median age
44.6
38.8
39.1
Age 18–24
9.7%
10.0%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
24.0%
18.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Harlan
Iowa
United States
Median household income
$57,488
$75,059
$84,427
Poverty rate
9.1%
11.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
22.1%
31.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Harlan
Iowa
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
4.1%
9.2%
22.3%
Spanish
3.9%
4.7%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Harlan
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.
Harlan, Iowa
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−29.0%
2008
−8.9%
2012
−16.7%
2016
−34.4%
2020
−33.7%
2024
−35.2%
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
R
31.7%Harris807
66.8%Trump1,703
1.5%
R+35.2
R+1.5
R+33.7
2,549
R
32.1%Biden851
65.8%Trump1,744
2.1%
R+33.7
D+0.7
R+38.1
2,652
R
30.0%Clinton754
64.4%Trump1,617
5.5%
R+34.4
R+17.7
R+36.5
2,510
R
40.9%Obama1,057
57.5%Romney1,488
1.6%
R+16.7
R+7.8
R+20.5
2,586
R
44.4%Obama1,137
53.3%McCain1,364
2.2%
R+8.9
D+20.2
R+16.1
2,558
R
35.4%Kerry917
64.4%Bush1,669
0.2%
R+29.0
—
R+26.6
2,590
Harlan functions as the commercial hub for surrounding Shelby County, where agricultural economics and a shrinking but stable population have produced some of Iowa's most consistent Republican margins at the presidential level.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 35.2 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 1.5 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 35.2 points.
A population of 4,891, a 91% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $57,488 describe the city.
In 2024, Harlan, Iowa voted Republican by 35.2 points (R+35.2), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 2,549 votes cast, 807 went Democratic and 1,703 went Republican.
How many people live in Harlan, Iowa?
Harlan, Iowa has a population of 4,891 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Harlan, Iowa?
Median household income in Harlan, Iowa is $57,488 — below the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of Harlan, Iowa?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Harlan, Iowa from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
