Brussels is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Brussels typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Brussels, ~16% vote Democratic, ~53% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Brussels compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Brussels leans more Republican than 98 of 126 neighbors.
Brussels runs about 64 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Brussels is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Brussels leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Brussels, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Brussels votes against the grain of Illinois. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Brussels runs about 64 points more Republican. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 85% of residents in Brussels drive to work alone, above 82% of cities.
Population density, never-married share, and Republican lean
Places that combine low population density and a never-married-heavy adult population tend to lean Republican, as Brussels, IL does.
Why turnout in Brussels looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Brussels 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%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Golden Eagle, IL R+53
- Deer Plain, IL R+52
- Meppen, IL R+54
- South Shore, MO R+54
- Cap au Gris, MO R+56
- Batchtown, IL R+57
- Kampville, MO R+43
- Rosedale, IL R+38
- Orchard Farm, MO R+57
Cities with Similar Populations
- Skidmore, MO R+66
- Wealthy, TX R+73
- Bunker Hill, OH R+72
- Foster Pond, IL R+50
- El Paso, WI R+30
- Ongo, MO R+65
- Gandsi, MS R+85
- Sumpter, OR R+61
- Grand Mound, WA R+31
- Dover, MS R+28
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.