akashic
1876–2024
Clayton County, Iowa
Clayton County·Iowa

Clayton County has voted Republican for as long as anyone can remember.

Driftless terrain shapes a county that swung hard toward Republicans

18762024·38 elections
Clayton County, Iowa · Jsayre64 · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+34
in 2024
Archetype
Republican loyalist
since the recent cycles
Population
17,013
2024 ACS
Most similar
Mitchell County
IA · similarity 0.99
12 precincts · 9,400 votes cast
Trump · R+34
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−34.4%
3,0176,2559,400
2020R
−28.8%
3,3406,1069,594
2016R
−22.6%
3,2375,3179,217
2012D
+7.0%
4,8064,1649,138
2008D
+17.2%
5,1953,6518,989
2004D
+4.6%
4,7364,3129,168
2000D
+2.4%
4,2384,0348,571
1996D
+16.4%
4,2842,9448,194
1992D
+7.6%
3,7423,0449,190
1988D
+5.8%
4,3203,8398,242
1984R
−18.5%
3,4465,0298,553
1980R
−19.7%
3,2975,1159,206
1976R
−11.6%
3,8044,8268,807
1972R
−23.0%
3,3665,4479,048
1968R
−22.1%
3,1685,1328,878
1964D
+17.8%
5,6243,9239,550
1960R
−16.5%
4,6126,44111,057
1956R
−19.6%
4,3846,52910,926
1952R
−34.5%
3,7307,66911,408
1948R
−2.9%
4,8575,15110,111
1944R
−15.7%
4,2595,85510,163
1940R
−19.9%
4,9737,44312,434
1936D
+14.0%
6,7315,01712,236
1932D
+32.5%
7,3473,72511,134
1928R
−23.0%
4,2316,77411,054
1924R
−26.0%
1,5564,16810,049
1920R
−56.7%
1,8086,7478,706
1916R
−16.6%
2,3793,3475,817
1912D
+28.7%
2,9191,2395,861
1908D
+4.3%
3,0262,7735,895
1904R
−11.6%
2,6283,3396,117
1900R
−7.6%
2,8843,3666,342
1896R
−6.2%
2,9103,3026,331
1892D
+15.2%
3,3372,4435,869
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
Italian
1.7%
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Mainline Protestant
26.4%
Catholic & Orthodox
19.7%
Methodist
8.8%
Other Christian
5.4%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 39.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Clayton's rugged Driftless Area landscape anchors a rural, largely white agricultural county that delivered a 34.5-point Republican margin in 2024 — a dramatic shift from the competitive results it posted in earlier cycles.

The Republican margin in Clayton County reached its widest at fifty-seven points in 1920. The margin in 2024 was thirty-four points, in line with the county's deep historical pattern.

Clayton County's loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $67,242, a 95% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 17,013 together describe a community whose political habits are deeply settled. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Mitchell County and Henderson County.