Grayslake leans Democratic by roughly 22 points: about 61% of voters vote Democratic and 39% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Grayslake typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Grayslake, ~49% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Grayslake compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Grayslake leans more Democratic than 110 of 135 neighbors.
Grayslake runs about 10 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Grayslake. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+25) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+13), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Grayslake 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 Grayslake, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 78% of residents in Grayslake live in densely developed areas, about 42 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Grayslake sits in the top quarter (about 56%, above 96% of cities).
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Grayslake, IL 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 Grayslake looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Grayslake 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Grayslake have completed high school, above 88% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Hainesville, IL D+18
- Third Lake, IL D+20
- Round Lake Park, IL D+16
- Gages Lake, IL D+14
- Round Lake Beach, IL D+16
- Venetian Village, IL D+6
- Round Lake, IL D+12
- Round Lake Heights, IL D+7
- Lindenhurst, IL D+4
- Gurnee, IL D+22
Cities with Similar Populations
- Socastee, SC R+31
- River Falls, WI R+4
- Middletown, PA R+10
- Nogales, AZ D+29
- Whitehall, OH D+35
- New Hope, MN D+36
- East Ridge, TN R+18
- Salem, OH R+39
- West Carson, CA D+25
- West Puente Valley, CA D+30
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.