Carthage leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 88% of adults in Carthage typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Carthage, ~28% vote Democratic, ~60% Republican, and ~12% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Carthage compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Carthage leans more Republican than 8 of 57 neighbors.
Carthage runs about 48 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Carthage is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Carthage. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+62) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+30), a spread of about 32 points.
Why Carthage 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 Carthage, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 91% of residents in Carthage drive to work alone, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Carthage runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Carthage, IL sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Carthage looks the way it does
Turnout in Carthage sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Adrian, IL R+58
- McCall, IL R+58
- Ferris, IL R+58
- Burnside, IL R+62
- Webster, IL R+62
- Elvaston, IL R+50
- Denver, IL R+63
- Basco, IL R+63
- Fountain Green, IL R+63
Cities with Similar Populations
- Sleepy Hollow, IL D+5
- Emporium, PA R+44
- Refugio, TX R+32
- DeLevan, NY R+41
- Stover, MO R+65
- Pawnee, IL R+39
- Christmas, FL R+44
- Blooming Prairie, MN R+31
- Celina, TN R+59
- Dayton, WA R+50
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.