State Senate District 42 State Senate District (IA) — Elections 1876–2024

Iowa 42nd State Senate District, Iowa: Democratic loyalist district. In 2024, voted D+5%. Republican peak: R+47 in 1920.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: D+5MIT Election Lab
Political archetype: Democratic loyalistAkashic typology
Population: 212,6072024 5-year
Median household income: $78,5952024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 84.7%2024 5-year
Black: 5.4%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 3.9%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+30 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+47 in 1920MIT Election Lab

2024 results by constituent county

2 counties · 1 D · 1 R

R+60

D+60

One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	D	+5.3%	59,088	53,057	114,294
2020	D	+9.4%	63,192	52,029	118,142
2016	D	+5.3%	52,872	47,096	109,820
2012	D	+15.7%	62,716	45,374	110,144
2008	D	+19.7%	62,428	41,642	105,649
2004	D	+8.9%	55,859	46,649	103,300
2000	D	+8.6%	45,573	38,155	86,334
1996	D	+17.4%	42,440	28,929	77,587
1992	D	+9.4%	35,779	28,005	82,580
1988	D	+13.5%	40,634	30,880	72,087
1984	R	−3.4%	36,188	38,772	75,663
1980	R	−6.1%	30,079	34,581	73,890
1976	D	+2.6%	36,396	34,532	72,430
1972	R	−7.8%	29,646	34,741	65,619
1968	R	−2.8%	28,140	29,887	61,595
1964	D	+29.7%	38,859	21,040	59,978
1960	R	−11.0%	26,811	33,415	60,254
1956	R	−20.6%	21,306	32,468	54,171
1952	R	−18.8%	21,335	31,364	53,353
1948	D	+1.1%	20,968	20,505	42,814
1944	D	+0.1%	21,419	21,358	42,933
1940	R	−7.4%	20,721	24,030	44,880
1936	D	+4.2%	21,085	19,364	41,395
1932	D	+3.5%	19,788	18,431	38,898
1928	R	−34.7%	12,504	25,895	38,567
1924	R	−46.3%	6,158	23,038	36,482
1920	R	−46.7%	7,723	22,127	30,831
1916	R	−13.1%	7,237	9,496	17,192
1912	D	+9.0%	6,577	5,129	16,098
1908	R	−11.9%	6,591	8,430	15,471
1904	R	−33.1%	4,716	9,781	15,288
1900	R	−19.3%	6,329	9,461	16,208
1896	R	−16.2%	6,536	9,116	15,920
1892	R	−3.1%	6,483	6,913	13,798
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.

German

31.0%

Irish

14.2%

English

11.3%

American

3.9%

French

1.8%

Scottish

1.7%

Italian

1.4%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.

Age distribution by sex

Median age: 39.4 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.7%

85+

1.4%

2.4%

75–84

3.0%

4.9%

65–74

5.2%

6.4%

55–64

6.4%

6.1%

45–54

6.0%

6.6%

35–44

6.6%

25–34

6.4%

4.4%

18–24

4.4%

8.4%

5–17

8.3%

2.9%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Median household income

2024 inflation-adjusted dollars

$78,595

State Senate District 42 ranks near the middle of US counties.

State Senate District 42$78,595

Iowa$75,059

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

9.2%

Child poverty is below the national average.

Children under 1810.6%

Working age (18–64)8.7%

Seniors (65+)8.7%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

93.4%

speak English only

Spanish2.1%

Other Indo-European2.1%

Asian & Pacific Islander1.2%

Other languages1.1%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Catholic & Orthodox

17.0%

Mainline Protestant

9.8%

Other Christian

7.5%

Methodist

5.5%

Non-Christian

2.3%

Pentecostal & Holiness

1.7%

Baptist

1.0%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 55.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

With a 2024 presidential margin of just R+0.6, Iowa Senate District 42 ranks among the state's most competitive turf, making it a consistent focus for both parties in legislative and statewide targeting.

The Democratic margin in Iowa 42nd State Senate District reached its widest at thirty points in 1964. The margin in 2024 was five points — still decisive.

Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $78,595, a 85% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 212,607 together describe a district whose political habits are deeply settled.

Compare two places, side by side

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Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

State Senate District 42, Iowa. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/19042/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did State Senate District 42, Iowa vote in 2024?

In 2024, State Senate District 42, Iowa voted Democratic by 5.3 points (D+5), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 114,294 votes cast, 59,088 went Democratic and 53,057 went Republican.

What is State Senate District 42, Iowa's political archetype?

Akashic classifies State Senate District 42, Iowa as a "Democratic loyalist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 17 times, Republican 17 times, and other 0 times.

When did State Senate District 42, Iowa last vote Republican?

The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 42, Iowa voted Republican was 1984.

How many people live in State Senate District 42, Iowa?

State Senate District 42, Iowa has a population of 212,607 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in State Senate District 42, Iowa?

Median household income in State Senate District 42, Iowa is $78,595 — below the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.

What is the political history of State Senate District 42, Iowa?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State Senate District 42, Iowa from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 17 went Democratic and 17 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Democratic loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.

Iowa 42nd State Senate District has voted Democratic in ten straight presidential cycles.

Key facts

Demographics

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Frequently asked questions