Clarkdale leans heavily Democratic by roughly 48 points: about 74% of voters vote Democratic and 26% Republican.
About 52% of adults in Clarkdale typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Clarkdale, ~39% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~48% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Clarkdale compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Clarkdale leans more Democratic than 9 of 23 neighbors.
Clarkdale runs about 37 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Clarkdale. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+64) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+31), a spread of about 33 points.
Why Clarkdale 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 Clarkdale, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Clarkdale live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Clarkdale, Chicago, IL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Clarkdale looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Clarkdale is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 79% of adults in Clarkdale have completed high school, below 87% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Ashburn, Chicago, IL D+56
- West Lawn, Chicago, IL D+32
- Chicago Lawn, Chicago, IL D+58
- South Englewood, Chicago, IL D+83
- Brainerd, Chicago, IL D+84
- Beverly, Chicago, IL D+50
- Auburn Gresham, Chicago, IL D+84
- West Elsdon, Chicago, IL D+28
- Mount Greenwood, Chicago, IL R+26
- Garfield Manor, Chicago, IL D+38
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Pacheco-Martinez, Martinez, CA D+32
- Pocono Country Place, Tobyhanna, PA D+41
- Midtown-San Jose, Palo Alto, CA D+43
- Mount Scott, Portland, OR D+70
- Menomonee River Hills, Milwaukee, WI D+63
- Crossroads, Boulder, CO D+73
- Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA D+84
- Midway, Henderson, NV D+13
- South Overton, Lubbock, TX D+33
- Downtown Ontario, Ontario, CA D+24
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.