† 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
GroupWest BranchIowaUnited States
German41.6%30.5%12.5%
Irish15.2%12.8%9.4%
English8.4%10.2%9.5%
American5.0%4.6%5.3%
Czech3.1%——
Norwegian2.8%4.1%—
Swedish2.4%1.9%—
Scottish1.6%—1.3%
Mexican2.8%5.0%11.3%
Venezuelan0.2%——
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
West Branch
Iowa
United States
Median age
36.7
38.8
39.1
Age 18–24
9.5%
10.0%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
16.8%
18.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
West Branch
Iowa
United States
Median household income
$92,209
$75,059
$84,427
Poverty rate
6.4%
11.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
31.9%
31.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
West Branch
Iowa
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
1.2%
9.2%
22.3%
Religious landscape
Measure
West Branch
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.
West Branch, Iowa
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+17.2%
2008
+27.8%
2012
+27.5%
2016
+17.2%
2020
+22.8%
2024
+18.3%
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
58.2%Harris921
39.9%Trump631
1.9%
D+18.3
R+4.5
D+19.8
1,582
D
60.2%Biden889
37.4%Trump552
2.4%
D+22.8
D+5.6
D+18.4
1,476
D
55.1%Clinton676
37.9%Trump465
6.9%
D+17.2
R+10.3
D+15.1
1,226
D
62.9%Obama795
35.5%Romney448
1.6%
D+27.5
R+0.3
D+23.6
1,263
D
63.2%Obama804
35.3%McCain450
1.5%
D+27.8
D+10.6
D+20.5
1,273
D
58.5%Kerry721
41.3%Bush509
0.2%
D+17.2
—
D+19.7
1,233
West Branch's identity is shaped by its status as the only U.S. presidential birthplace in Iowa, drawing visitors to the Hoover National Historic Site while the surrounding Cedar County corridor trends reliably Republican in statewide contests.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 27.8 points in 2008. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 4.5 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 18.3 points.
A population of 2,594, a 90% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $92,209 describe the city.
In 2024, West Branch, Iowa voted Democratic by 18.3 points (D+18.3), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 1,582 votes cast, 921 went Democratic and 631 went Republican.
How many people live in West Branch, Iowa?
West Branch, Iowa has a population of 2,594 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in West Branch, Iowa?
Median household income in West Branch, Iowa is $92,209 — above the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of West Branch, Iowa?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in West Branch, Iowa from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
