HarrisDemocratic54.0%26,765TrumpRepublican43.7%21,665KennedyWe The People0.7%354
D+10.3- Lead
- 5,100
- Total
- 49,526
- vs nation
- D+11.8
- Turnout
- 63.1%
Akashiccounty
Story County, IA
Office (updates table and map)
President margin by year
Place winner margin
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
The precinct map shows the 2024 presidential vote; the timeline scrubs the county’s overall result across 1892–2024.
President results by year
2024 turnout 63.1% of 79,009 citizens 18+
BidenDemocratic57.2%29,175TrumpRepublican39.9%20,340JorgensenLibertarian1.8%924
D+17.3- Lead
- 8,835
- Total
- 51,038
- vs nation
- D+12.9
- Turnout
- 68.8%
ClintonDemocratic50.4%25,709TrumpRepublican38.2%19,458JohnsonLibertarian5.9%3,014
D+12.3- Lead
- 6,251
- Total
- 50,974
- vs nation
- D+10.2
- Turnout
- 70.4%
ObamaDemocratic55.6%26,192RomneyRepublican41.7%19,668GrayLibertarian1.5%727
D+13.8- Lead
- 6,524
- Total
- 47,150
- vs nation
- D+10.0
- Turnout
- —
ObamaDemocratic57.0%26,548McCainRepublican40.8%18,995OtherAll other candidates2.2%1,032
D+16.2- Lead
- 7,553
- Total
- 46,575
- vs nation
- D+8.9
- Turnout
- —
KerryDemocratic52.2%23,296BushRepublican46.6%20,819OtherAll other candidates1.2%537
D+5.5- Lead
- 2,477
- Total
- 44,652
- vs nation
- D+8.0
- Turnout
- —
GoreDemocratic49.4%17,478BushRepublican45.9%16,228NaderGreen3.7%1,317
D+3.5- Lead
- 1,250
- Total
- 35,364
- vs nation
- D+3.0
- Turnout
- —
ClintonDemocratic52.7%17,234DoleRepublican38.1%12,468PerotReform6.4%2,091
D+14.6- Lead
- 4,766
- Total
- 32,695
- vs nation
- D+6.1
- Turnout
- —
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+10.3MIT Election Lab
- Population
- 100,4662024 5-year
- Population density
- 175 / sq mi2024 5-year · TIGER/Line
- Land area
- 573 sq miTIGER/Line
- Median household income
- $69,6852024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 81.0%2024 5-year
- Black
- 2.7%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 5.2%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+20.1 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+63.6 in 1904MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Johnson County, IA · twin score 94.2
Midterm durability
Total general-election participants divided by same-year citizen voting-age population. These are total ballots or participating voters—not presidential candidate votes.
- 2024 total turnout
- 63.1%49,818 participants ÷ 79,009 CVAP
- 2020→2022 drop-off
- +20.6 ptsPresidential-dependent
- Drop-off versus state
- -0.4 ptsPositive means a larger decline than the statewide pattern
- Mechanical 2026 scenario
- 42.4%–46.7%Recent-cycle and two-cycle persistence scenarios; not a forecast
| Election | Participants | CVAP | Turnout | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 · Presidential | 50,974 | 72,439 | 70.4% | A/A |
| 2018 · Midterm | 42,966 | 73,671 | 58.3% | A/A |
| 2020 · Presidential | 51,253 | 74,508 | 68.8% | A/A |
| 2022 · Midterm | 37,146 | 77,108 | 48.2% | A/A |
| 2024 · Presidential | 49,818 | 79,009 | 63.1% | A/A |
Sources and methods
- 2016: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 293/111.
- 2018: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 297/138.
- 2020: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 301/2.
- 2022: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 306/183.
- 2024: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 311/228.
presidential history
Party record book
Story County, IA · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 · 34 presidential cycles
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Lyndon B. Johnson1964
59.8%
12,329 votes · D+20.1
Runner-up · Michael Dukakis, 1988 · 57.5%
Republican
Warren G. Harding1920
80.8%
8,713 votes · R+63.1
Runner-up · Theodore Roosevelt, 1904 · 78.7%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Joe Biden2020
29,175votes
57.2% of the vote · D+17.3
Runner-up · Kamala Harris, 2024 · 26,765 votes
Republican
Donald Trump2024
21,665votes
43.7% of the vote · D+10.3
Runner-up · George W. Bush, 2004 · 20,819 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
Michael Dukakis1988
+23.6pts D vs U.S.
Place D+15.9 · U.S. R+7.7
Runner-up · George McGovern, 1972 · +14.6 pts
Republican
Theodore Roosevelt1904
+44.0pts R vs U.S.
Place R+63.6 · U.S. R+19.7
Runner-up · William McKinley, 1900 · +40.4 pts
U.S. House elections · 3 House
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
U.S. House
Each row shows U.S. House votes counted inside this Place. “Vote lead” is the local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
voter registration
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Party registration · 2024D+5.5
Presidential vote · 2024D+10.3
Registration leans Democratic; the presidential vote runs 4.8 points more Democratic than the rolls.
DemocraticRepublicanUnaffiliatedOther parties
| Year | Total registered | Democratic | Republican | Unaffiliated | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 72,066 | 23,452 | 18,863 | 29,602 | 149 |
| 2010 | 64,163 | 20,518 | 17,730 | 25,734 | 181 |
| 2012 | 67,971 | 21,437 | 18,827 | 27,442 | 265 |
| 2014 | 64,973 | 19,351 | 18,226 | 26,972 | 424 |
| 2016 | 69,043 | 22,288 | 20,086 | 25,913 | 756 |
| 2018 | 69,545 | 22,722 | 19,200 | 26,649 | 974 |
| 2020 | 72,164 | 26,670 | 19,555 | 24,948 | 991 |
| 2022 | 70,373 | 25,203 | 18,954 | 25,236 | 980 |
| 2024 | 69,867 | 23,231 | 19,369 | 26,334 | 933 |
domestic migration
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
−792 net domestic migration · 2025
20112025
Net −3,542 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $49,962 in average income, against $97,747 for residents who stayed — 49% lower. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+2.9 on average — 13 points more Republican-leaning than Story County, IA itself (D+10.3).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Polk County, IA607D+10.8
- Boone County, IA194R+21.5
- Dallas County, IA93R+4.7
- Marshall County, IA92R+15.5
- Hamilton County, IA88R+33.2
- Linn County, IA72D+9.9
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Polk County, IA863
- Boone County, IA170
- Dallas County, IA116
- Linn County, IA72
- Hamilton County, IA64
- Marshall County, IA61
Migration is one input to a place’s political change, not its cause — a shift can also come from residents changing their minds, generational turnover, or turnout. These figures describe the places people moved between; they do not measure how any mover voted.
| Year | Net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2011 | +73 |
| 2012 | −176 |
| 2013 | +488 |
| 2014 | +556 |
| 2015 | −248 |
| 2016 | −828 |
| 2017 | −812 |
| 2018 | −1,208 |
| 2019 | −369 |
| 2021 | +477 |
| 2022 | −475 |
| 2023 | +257 |
| 2024 | −485 |
| 2025 | −792 |
Story County's Democratic lean in an otherwise Republican-trending state traces directly to Ames and Iowa State University, where students and faculty form a durable left-of-center voting bloc that has held margins in double digits across recent cycles.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 20.1 points in 1964 and a Republican high of 63.6 points in 1904. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 7.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 10.3 points.
A population of 100,466, a 81% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $69,685 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Johnson County and Clay County.
Political twins — counties
The counties whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Johnson County
Iowa
94.2twin score
college share2016–2024 trajectory
Clay County
South Dakota
92.7twin score
median age2016–2024 trajectory≠ % Asian
Boone County
Missouri
90.7twin score
2016–2024 trajectorycollege share≠ median age
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.
Browse places by community — income, education, race & ethnicity, language — all community cuts →
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Story County, Iowa. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/19169/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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Cities & towns in Story County
Iowa at the ballot boxAll elections →
Frequently asked questions
How did Story County, Iowa vote in 2024?
In 2024, Story County, Iowa voted Democratic by 10.3 points (D+10.3), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 49,526 votes cast, 26,765 went Democratic and 21,665 went Republican.
When did Story County, Iowa last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Story County, Iowa voted Republican was 1984.
How many people live in Story County, Iowa?
Story County, Iowa has a population of 100,466 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Story County, Iowa?
Median household income in Story County, Iowa is $69,685 — below the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of Story County, Iowa?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Story County, Iowa from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 12 went Democratic and 21 went Republican.