61526 leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 94% of adults in 61526 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 61526, ~31% vote Democratic, ~63% Republican, and ~6% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 61526 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 61526 leans more Republican than 12 of 20 neighbors.
61526 runs about 44 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while 61526 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 61526. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+42) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+31), a spread of about 11 points.
Why 61526 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 61526, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
61526 votes against the grain of Illinois. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while 61526 runs about 44 points more Republican. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 79% of households in 61526 are family households, above 90% of zip codes.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; 61526, IL sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in 61526 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 61526 is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 92% of households in 61526 own their home, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in 61526 have completed high school, above 87% of zip codes. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Illinois State Board of Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.