Highland leans Republican by roughly 28 points: about 36% of voters vote Democratic and 64% Republican.
About 85% of adults in Highland typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Highland, ~31% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~15% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Highland compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Highland leans more Republican than 28 of 90 neighbors.
Highland runs about 39 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Highland is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Highland. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+39) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+17), a spread of about 22 points.
Why Highland 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 Highland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Highland votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 44%, modestly above the Illinois average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Highland runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a low uninsured rate tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Highland, IL does.
Why turnout in Highland looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Highland 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Highland have completed high school, above 90% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Pierron, IL R+54
- Grantfork, IL R+49
- Marine, IL R+41
- St. Jacob, IL R+37
- St. Rose, IL R+64
- Pocahontas, IL R+54
- Trenton, IL R+39
- Kaufman, IL R+44
- Alhambra, IL R+45
- Aviston, IL R+41
Cities with Similar Populations
- St. Johns, MI R+21
- Hyde Park, NY Even
- Hartsdale, NY D+24
- Los Alamos, NM D+33
- Mission Hills, CA D+23
- Colesville, MD D+55
- Paris, KY R+30
- Fords, NJ D+4
- Leeds, AL R+34
- St. Peter, MN Even
All Local Stats
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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.