Granite City leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Granite City typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Granite City, ~29% vote Democratic, ~36% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Granite City compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Granite City leans more Republican than 116 of 170 neighbors.
Granite City runs about 24 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Granite City is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Granite City. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+3) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+38), a spread of about 41 points.
Why Granite 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 Granite City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Granite City votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 84%, far above the Illinois average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Granite City sits in the bottom quarter (about 15%, below 79% of cities). Granite City runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Granite City, IL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Granite City looks the way it does
Turnout in Granite 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
- Pontoon Beach, IL R+22
- Madison, IL D+39
- Venice, IL D+87
- Lovejoy, IL D+74
- Riverview, MO D+69
- Fairmont City, IL D+6
- Brooklyn, IL D+85
- Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO D+79
- Meadow Heights, IL R+20
- State Park Place, IL D+12
Cities with Similar Populations
- Niceville, FL R+38
- Lawndale, CA D+27
- Sulphur, LA R+64
- Eagle, ID R+29
- Lexington, MA D+54
- Prior Lake, MN R+8
- Pearl, MS R+22
- Eastpointe, MI D+48
- Laramie, WY D+16
- Albertville, AL R+54
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.