East Chicago is a Democratic stronghold. About 79% of voters here vote Democratic and 21% Republican.
About 37% of adults in East Chicago typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in East Chicago, ~29% vote Democratic, ~8% Republican, and ~63% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How East Chicago compares
Among cities within 25 miles, East Chicago leans more Democratic than 89 of 117 neighbors.
East Chicago runs about 76 points more Democratic than Indiana as a whole. Indiana leans Republican overall, while East Chicago is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within East Chicago. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+70) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+39), a spread of about 31 points.
Why East Chicago 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 East Chicago, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 97% of residents in East Chicago live in densely developed areas, about 61 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 51% of adults in East Chicago have never been married, above 98% of cities. East Chicago runs against the grain of Indiana, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; East Chicago, IN 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 East Chicago looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. East Chicago is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 41%, about 20 points below the Indiana average of 61%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 54% of households in East Chicago rent, compared to around 28% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 40% of adults in East Chicago report food insecurity, in the top fraction of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Hammond, IN D+31
- Whiting, IN D+7
- Calumet City, IL D+74
- Burnham, IL D+64
- Highland, IN Even
- Munster, IN D+6
- Lansing, IL D+49
- Dolton, IL D+82
- Griffith, IN D+4
- South Holland, IL D+77
Cities with Similar Populations
- Tiffin, OH R+29
- Lewes, DE D+7
- Leisure City, FL R+5
- El Sobrante, CA D+46
- Mandan, ND R+44
- Golden Gate, FL R+4
- Dix Hills, NY R+4
- Uniontown, PA R+19
- Holbrook, NY R+26
- Shelbyville, IN R+40
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Indiana Secretary of State, 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.