akashic
1876–2024
O'Brien County, Iowa
O'Brien County·Iowa

O'Brien County has voted Republican for as long as anyone can remember.

One of Iowa's most lopsided rural counties by presidential margin

18762024·38 elections
O'Brien County, Iowa · Scott Romine · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+61
in 2024
Archetype
Republican loyalist
since the recent cycles
Population
14,126
2024 ACS
Most similar
Osceola County
IA · similarity 1.00
9 precincts · 7,525 votes cast
Trump · R+61
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−60.7%
1,4285,9987,525
2020R
−56.8%
1,5695,8617,551
2016R
−59.5%
1,3155,7527,460
2012R
−44.9%
1,9695,2667,341
2008R
−34.9%
2,3384,8947,333
2004R
−38.8%
2,3305,3287,731
2000R
−35.5%
2,1704,6747,044
1996R
−24.4%
2,2363,8776,735
1992R
−23.1%
2,1223,8697,578
1988R
−20.8%
2,7684,2417,072
1984R
−33.4%
2,4795,0087,569
1980R
−35.1%
2,2104,9377,761
1976R
−25.5%
2,7324,6437,506
1972R
−39.2%
2,2245,1597,491
1968R
−42.7%
2,1465,5948,068
1964R
−0.5%
4,2954,3368,637
1960R
−37.4%
2,9676,5099,480
1956R
−34.7%
2,9706,1389,118
1952R
−52.8%
2,1927,1309,360
1948R
−3.8%
3,4213,6977,326
1944R
−12.4%
3,1384,0337,201
1940R
−7.0%
4,1334,7608,931
1936D
+20.8%
5,1393,3508,612
1932D
+16.4%
4,5033,2137,848
1928R
−33.5%
2,3974,8457,298
1924R
−47.9%
7564,1727,135
1920R
−54.6%
1,4685,1376,714
1916R
−6.1%
1,7872,0213,847
1912D
+22.9%
1,5066203,870
1908R
−17.7%
1,3261,9123,314
1904R
−42.2%
8852,2793,306
1900R
−23.7%
1,4612,3863,901
1896R
−21.3%
1,5622,4214,028
1892R
−9.3%
1,3731,6663,147
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%
African American
1.4%
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
40.5%
Catholic & Orthodox
11.7%
Methodist
6.9%
Other Christian
5.6%
Pentecostal & Holiness
0.4%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 34.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

O'Brien County's R+60.7 margin in 2024 places it among the most one-sided presidential counties in Iowa, reflecting the broader rural realignment that has reshaped the state's electoral map over the past decade.

The Republican margin in O'Brien County reached its widest at sixty-one points in 2024. The margin in 2024 was sixty-one points, in line with the county's deep historical pattern.

O'Brien County's loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $68,356, a 88% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 14,126 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 Osceola County and Franklin County.