Ford Heights is a Democratic stronghold. About 90% of voters here vote Democratic and 10% Republican.
About 62% of adults in Ford Heights typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ford Heights, ~55% vote Democratic, ~6% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ford Heights compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Ford Heights leans more Democratic than 112 of 117 neighbors.
Ford Heights runs about 68 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Ford Heights. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+86) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+30), a spread of about 56 points.
Why Ford Heights 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 Ford Heights, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 75% of residents in Ford Heights live in densely developed areas, about 39 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 50% of adults in Ford Heights have never been married, above 98% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Ford Heights, IL sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Ford Heights looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 40% of households in Ford Heights rent, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 30% of adults in Ford Heights report food insecurity, above 95% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Sauk Village, IL D+59
- Lynwood, IL D+67
- Glenwood, IL D+74
- Chicago Heights, IL D+50
- South Chicago Heights, IL D+15
- Steger, IL D+30
- Dyer, IN R+16
- Thornton, IL D+28
- Lansing, IL D+49
- Crete, IL D+19
Cities with Similar Populations
- Garden Plain, KS R+61
- Arma, KS R+45
- Arnoldsville, GA R+46
- Riegelwood, NC D+3
- Holdingford, MN R+66
- Bolivar, NY R+44
- Stanton, TN Even
- Marion, MT R+58
- Woodland, PA R+64
- Williamsfield, OH R+51
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.