Cumberland County is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Cumberland County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cumberland County, ~16% vote Democratic, ~62% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Cumberland County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Cumberland County leans more Republican than 13 of 15 neighbors.
Cumberland County runs about 71 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Cumberland County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Cumberland County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+71) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+51), a spread of about 19 points.
Why Cumberland County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Cumberland County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Cumberland County, about 95% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 7 points below the Illinois average of 27%. Cumberland County runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Cumberland County, IL sits in the bottom quarter 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 Cumberland County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 85% of households in Cumberland County own their home, about 5 points above the Illinois average of 80%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Cumberland County have completed high school, above 86% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Coles County, IL R+26
- Jasper County, IL R+61
- Effingham County, IL R+56
- Clark County, IL R+53
- Shelby County, IL R+58
- Moultrie County, IL R+54
- Douglas County, IL R+48
- Crawford County, IL R+50
- Edgar County, IL R+50
- Richland County, IL R+50
Counties with Similar Populations
- Carbon County, MT R+38
- Gates County, NC R+29
- Washington County, ID R+57
- Leslie County, KY R+76
- Coosa County, AL R+26
- Crawford County, IN R+52
- Franklin County, TX R+62
- Bullock County, AL D+41
- Custer County, NE R+68
- Camden County, NC R+48
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.