Chester Highlands is a Democratic stronghold. About 91% of voters here vote Democratic and 9% Republican.
About 53% of adults in Chester Highlands typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Chester Highlands, ~48% vote Democratic, ~5% Republican, and ~47% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Chester Highlands compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Chester Highlands leans more Democratic than 27 of 42 neighbors.
Chester Highlands runs about 72 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Why Chester Highlands 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 Chester Highlands, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Chester Highlands live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 53% of adults in Chester Highlands have never been married, above 86% of neighborhoods.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Chester Highlands, Chicago, IL sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Chester Highlands looks the way it does
Areas with high food insecurity turn out at lower rates. About 42% of adults in Chester Highlands report food insecurity, about 26 points above the U.S. average of 16%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 83% of adults in Chester Highlands have completed high school, below 80% of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Chester Highlands sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Auburn Gresham, Chicago, IL D+84
- South Englewood, Chicago, IL D+83
- Auburn Park, Chicago, IL D+82
- Brainerd, Chicago, IL D+84
- Becks Park, Chicago, IL D+80
- Chatham, Chicago, IL D+85
- Grand Crossing, Chicago, IL D+82
- Washington Heights, Chicago, IL D+85
- Avalon Highlands, Chicago, IL D+84
- Englewood, Chicago, IL D+80
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- New River Estates, Sunrise, FL D+5
- Crosstown, Memphis, TN D+60
- Chapel Hill, Akron, OH D+20
- Paseo Ranchoero, Chula Vista, CA D+16
- Taylor Berry, Louisville, KY D+43
- Saint Joseph, Milwaukee, WI D+80
- South Lorain, Lorain, OH D+21
- Huguenot, Staten Island, NY R+60
- Reservoir, Little Rock, AR D+34
- Franklin Park, Trenton, NJ D+34
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.