† 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
GroupSpencerIowaUnited States
German43.4%30.5%12.5%
Norwegian11.1%4.1%—
Irish10.2%12.8%9.4%
English7.4%10.2%9.5%
American6.0%4.6%5.3%
Danish5.0%——
Dutch4.5%2.7%—
Swedish4.5%1.9%—
Mexican3.3%5.0%11.3%
Honduran1.9%0.2%0.3%
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
Spencer
Iowa
United States
Median age
41.4
38.8
39.1
Age 18–24
6.9%
10.0%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
22.0%
18.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Spencer
Iowa
United States
Median household income
$59,667
$75,059
$84,427
Poverty rate
14.0%
11.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
29.8%
31.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Spencer
Iowa
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
3.6%
9.2%
22.3%
Spanish
2.7%
4.7%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Spencer
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.
Spencer, Iowa
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−13.9%
2008
−1.9%
2012
−15.8%
2016
−36.5%
2020
−31.2%
2024
−36.8%
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
30.8%Harris1,711
67.5%Trump3,754
1.7%
R+36.8
R+5.5
R+35.3
5,559
R
33.4%Biden1,982
64.6%Trump3,839
2.1%
R+31.2
D+5.2
R+35.7
5,943
R
28.7%Clinton1,619
65.2%Trump3,674
6.0%
R+36.5
R+20.7
R+38.6
5,633
R
41.1%Obama2,304
56.9%Romney3,188
1.9%
R+15.8
R+13.9
R+19.6
5,601
R
48.2%Obama2,673
50.1%McCain2,777
1.7%
R+1.9
D+12.1
R+9.1
5,543
R
42.2%Kerry2,366
56.2%Bush3,147
1.6%
R+13.9
—
R+11.5
5,601
Spencer serves as the retail and services center for a sparsely populated agricultural region where Republican candidates have carried Clay County by double-digit margins in recent statewide cycles.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 36.8 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 5.5 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 36.8 points.
A population of 11,400, a 90% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $59,667 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Spirit Lake and Spearfish.
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, Spencer, Iowa voted Republican by 36.8 points (R+36.8), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 5,559 votes cast, 1,711 went Democratic and 3,754 went Republican.
How many people live in Spencer, Iowa?
Spencer, Iowa has a population of 11,400 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Spencer, Iowa?
Median household income in Spencer, Iowa is $59,667 — below the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of Spencer, Iowa?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Spencer, Iowa from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
