61544 leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 73% of adults in 61544 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 61544, ~20% vote Democratic, ~53% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 61544 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 61544 leans more Republican than 11 of 15 neighbors.
61544 runs about 56 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while 61544 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 61544. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+48) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+38), a spread of about 11 points.
Why 61544 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 61544, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. 61544 sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 97% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 16 points above the Illinois average of 81%. 61544 runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; 61544, IL sits below the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in 61544 looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 88% of households in 61544 own their home, about 8 points above the Illinois average of 80%. 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.