Central Street Merchant District is a Democratic stronghold. About 89% of voters here vote Democratic and 11% Republican.
About 86% of adults in Central Street Merchant District typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Central Street Merchant District, ~77% vote Democratic, ~9% Republican, and ~14% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Central Street Merchant District compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Central Street Merchant District leans more Democratic than 5 of 6 neighbors.
Central Street Merchant District runs about 66 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Central Street Merchant District. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+90) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+66), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Central Street Merchant District leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Central Street Merchant District, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 83% of adults in Central Street Merchant District hold a bachelor's degree, about 55 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Central Street Merchant District, Evanston, IL sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Central Street Merchant District looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Central Street Merchant District 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 78%, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Central Street Merchant District have completed high school, above 83% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Gross Point, Wilmette, IL D+47
- Downtown, Evanston, IL D+74
- South Evanston, Evanston, IL D+81
- Rogers Park, Chicago, IL D+75
- West Ridge, Chicago, IL D+21
- Granville Gardens, Chicago, IL D+40
- Sauganash, Chicago, IL D+26
- Forest Glen, Chicago, IL D+25
- North Park, Chicago, IL D+28
- Edgewater, Chicago, IL D+71
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Bird Land, San Diego, CA D+32
- Century City, Los Angeles, CA D+42
- Pelican Bay, Naples, FL R+23
- Royal Highlands, Brooksville, FL R+46
- Lower South Providence, Providence, RI D+39
- Delta, Everett, WA D+16
- Union Park, Des Moines, IA D+15
- Wellswood, Tampa, FL D+2
- East Gloucester, Gloucester, MA D+16
- Carquinez Heights, Vallejo, CA D+45
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.