Champaign leans heavily Democratic by roughly 46 points: about 73% of voters vote Democratic and 27% Republican.
About 61% of adults in Champaign typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Champaign, ~45% vote Democratic, ~16% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Champaign compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Champaign leans more Democratic than 63 of 64 neighbors.
Champaign runs about 34 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Champaign. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+58) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+22), a spread of about 36 points.
Why Champaign 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 Champaign, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 87% of residents in Champaign live in densely developed areas, about 51 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Champaign sits in the top quarter (about 55%, above 95% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 53% of adults in Champaign 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; Champaign, 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 Champaign looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 55% of households in Champaign rent, about 30 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 21% of adults in Champaign report food insecurity, above 83% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Urbana, IL D+52
- Savoy, IL D+29
- Bondville, IL R+39
- Seymour, IL R+36
- Tolono, IL R+21
- Mahomet, IL R+11
- Philo, IL R+26
- Thomasboro, IL R+38
- Sadorus, IL R+34
- St. Joseph, IL R+29
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bismarck, ND R+30
- Napa, CA D+32
- Walnut Creek, CA D+47
- Tustin, CA D+14
- Utica, MI R+22
- Covington, GA D+22
- Manteca, CA R+8
- Elkhart, IN R+15
- Macomb, MI R+28
- Fort Smith, AR R+16
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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.