Kankakee County leans slightly Republican by roughly 8 points: about 46% of voters vote Democratic and 54% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Kankakee County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kankakee County, ~31% vote Democratic, ~36% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kankakee County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Kankakee County leans more Republican than 5 of 13 neighbors.
Kankakee County runs about 20 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Kankakee County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Kankakee County. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+27) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+31), a spread of about 58 points.
Why Kankakee County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Kankakee County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Kankakee County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 58%, well above the Illinois average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Kankakee County 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; Kankakee County, IL sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Kankakee County looks the way it does
Turnout in Kankakee County 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 Counties
- Newton County, IN R+54
- Iroquois County, IL R+48
- Grundy County, IL R+26
- Will County, IL D+6
- Lake County, IN D+14
- Jasper County, IN R+50
- Livingston County, IL R+38
- Kendall County, IL Even
- Porter County, IN R+11
- Ford County, IL R+40
Counties with Similar Populations
- Yamhill County, OR R+5
- Houston County, AL R+30
- Rockwall County, TX R+35
- Cass County, MO R+32
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK R+33
- Carver County, MN R+8
- Platte County, MO R+5
- Navajo County, AZ R+3
- St. Lawrence County, NY R+18
- Walworth County, WI R+17
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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.