Gold Coast is a Democratic stronghold. About 77% of voters here vote Democratic and 23% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Gold Coast typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Gold Coast, ~52% vote Democratic, ~15% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Gold Coast compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Gold Coast leans more Democratic than 5 of 33 neighbors.
Gold Coast runs about 44 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Gold Coast. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+61) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+49), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Gold Coast 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 Gold Coast, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 87% of adults in Gold Coast hold a bachelor's degree, about 59 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 50% of adults in Gold Coast have never been married, above 81% of neighborhoods.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Gold Coast, Chicago, IL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Gold Coast looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Gold Coast is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 74%, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 99% of adults in Gold Coast have completed high school, above 90% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Near North Side, Chicago, IL D+53
- Belgravia Terrace, Chicago, IL D+58
- Loop, Chicago, IL D+57
- Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL D+62
- Greektown, Chicago, IL D+59
- Printers Row, Chicago, IL D+69
- West Town, Chicago, IL D+69
- Wicker Park, Chicago, IL D+71
- Near West Side, Chicago, IL D+68
- Ukrainian Village, Chicago, IL D+72
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Brightwood, Washington, DC D+77
- Arverne, Queens, NY D+63
- Northwood, Irvine, CA D+10
- Northshore, Houston, TX D+20
- Green Valley South, Henderson, NV D+8
- Hunts Point, Bronx, NY D+44
- Fort Bend Houston, Missouri City, TX D+68
- Fox Chase-Burholme, Philadelphia, PA D+7
- Palos Verdes Peninsula, Torrance, CA D+16
- The Plaza, Long Beach, CA D+18
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.