Carbondale leans heavily Democratic by roughly 36 points: about 68% of voters vote Democratic and 32% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Carbondale typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Carbondale, ~37% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Carbondale compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Carbondale is the most Democratic-leaning.
Carbondale runs about 25 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Carbondale. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+56) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+6), a spread of about 62 points.
Why Carbondale 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 Carbondale, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 46% of adults in Carbondale hold a bachelor's degree, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Carbondale sits in the top fifth on density (about 60%, above 90% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 57% of adults in Carbondale have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Carbondale, IL sits in the top quarter 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 Carbondale looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 62% of households in Carbondale rent, about 37 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 22% of adults in Carbondale report food insecurity, above 85% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Crab Orchard Estates, IL R+21
- Makanda, IL D+6
- Reeds Station, IL R+13
- Mount Carbon, IL R+25
- DeSoto, IL R+40
- Cambria, IL R+34
- Murphysboro, IL R+12
- Carterville, IL R+25
- Crainville, IL R+19
- Hurst, IL R+50
Cities with Similar Populations
- Ardmore, OK R+33
- Norco, CA R+19
- Klamath Falls, OR R+22
- Bristol, VA R+43
- Wasco, CA Even
- Madison Heights, MI D+9
- Martinsville, IN R+52
- Richmond Hill, GA R+27
- Rolla, MO R+22
- Batavia, IL D+15
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.