Carol Stream leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Carol Stream typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Carol Stream, ~36% vote Democratic, ~30% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Carol Stream compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Carol Stream leans more Democratic than 96 of 184 neighbors.
Politically, Carol Stream sits close to the rest of Illinois.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Carol Stream. The southeast side runs the most Democratic (D+20) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+7), a spread of about 27 points.
Why Carol Stream 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 Carol Stream, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 98% of residents in Carol Stream live in densely developed areas, about 62 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Carol Stream sits in the top quarter (about 42%, above 89% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 31% of adults in Carol Stream have never been married, above 76% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Carol Stream, IL sits in the top 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 Carol Stream looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Carol Stream 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
- Glendale Heights, IL D+14
- Winfield, IL D+6
- Bloomingdale, IL Even
- West Chicago, IL D+9
- Wheaton, IL D+21
- Hanover Park, IL D+14
- Roselle, IL Even
- Glen Ellyn, IL D+22
- Bartlett, IL D+3
- Wayne Center, IL D+10
Cities with Similar Populations
- Beverly Hills, CA D+18
- Westfield, MA Even
- Canonsburg, PA R+14
- Buffalo Grove, IL D+25
- DePere, WI R+8
- Plymouth, MI D+5
- Nicholasville, KY R+34
- Thibodaux, LA R+33
- Atwater, CA R+13
- Warminster, PA R+5
All Local Stats
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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.