Highland Park leans heavily Democratic by roughly 50 points: about 75% of voters vote Democratic and 25% Republican.
About 92% of adults in Highland Park typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Highland Park, ~69% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~8% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Highland Park compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Highland Park leans more Democratic than 122 of 133 neighbors.
Highland Park runs about 39 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Highland Park. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+57) and the north side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+43), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Highland Park 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 Park, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 78% of adults in Highland Park hold a bachelor's degree, about 49 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Highland Park sits in the top fifth on density (about 92%, above 97% of cities).
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Highland Park, 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 Highland Park looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Highland Park 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 77%, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Highland Park have completed high school, above 92% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Highwood, IL D+34
- Deerfield, IL D+45
- Bannockburn, IL D+26
- Glencoe, IL D+47
- Northbrook, IL D+32
- Lake Forest, IL D+16
- Riverwoods, IL D+29
- Northfield, IL D+26
- Winnetka, IL D+36
- Lincolnshire, IL D+28
Cities with Similar Populations
- Leland, NC R+18
- Shelbyville, KY R+26
- Uniondale, NY D+58
- Oxford, OH D+16
- Wilsonville, OR D+21
- Forest Hills, MI Even
- Monroeville, PA D+20
- Allen Park, MI R+3
- Marquette, MI D+18
- Wasco, CA 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.