Forest City is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 84% of adults in Forest City typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Forest City, ~20% vote Democratic, ~64% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Forest City compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Forest City leans more Republican than 52 of 72 neighbors.
Forest City runs about 63 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Forest City is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Forest City 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 Forest City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 9% of adults in Forest City hold a bachelor's degree, about 17 points below the Illinois average of 27%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 86% of residents in Forest City drive to work alone, above 83% of cities. Forest City runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Forest City, IL sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Forest City looks the way it does
Turnout in Forest City sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Topeka, IL R+49
- Manito, IL R+47
- Liverpool, IL R+46
- Parkland, IL R+54
- Talbott, IL R+55
- Eckard, IL R+49
- Banner, IL R+45
- Poplar City, IL R+54
- Easton, IL R+58
- Maples Mill, IL R+46
Cities with Similar Populations
- Williamsburg, MO R+53
- Hillgrove, WA R+18
- Bridgewater, MI R+12
- Titus, GA R+56
- Kansas, OH R+52
- Cecilton, MD R+37
- Cunot, IN R+61
- Mannboro, VA R+36
- Patterson, IA R+46
- Coal City, IN R+64
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.