Burlington leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Burlington typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Burlington, ~27% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Burlington compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Burlington leans more Republican than 89 of 94 neighbors.
Burlington runs about 48 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Burlington is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Burlington 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 Burlington, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Burlington votes against the grain of Illinois. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Burlington runs about 48 points more Republican. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 78% of households in Burlington are family households, above 86% of cities.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with low food insecurity tend to turn out at a higher rate; Burlington, IL sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Burlington looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Burlington 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
- Hampshire, IL R+19
- Richardson, IL R+33
- North Plato, IL R+23
- Wasco, IL R+37
- Pingree Grove, IL R+6
- New Lebanon, IL R+31
- Starks, IL R+19
- Lily Lake, IL R+15
- Virgil, IL R+32
- Sycamore, IL Even
Cities with Similar Populations
- Kynesville, FL R+60
- Marvell, AR Even
- Sodus Point, NY R+14
- Sycamore, AL R+51
- Crandall, IN R+49
- Coulee City, WA R+42
- Kernstown, VA R+25
- Caliente, NV R+60
- Hurtsboro, AL D+50
- Ontario, IN R+60
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.