Knox County leans slightly Republican by roughly 10 points: about 45% of voters vote Democratic and 55% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Knox County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Knox County, ~32% vote Democratic, ~39% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Knox County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Knox County leans more Republican than 4 of 12 neighbors.
Knox County runs about 20 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Knox County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Knox County. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+10) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+44), a spread of about 54 points.
Why Knox 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 Knox County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Knox County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 56%, well above the Illinois average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Knox 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; Knox County, IL sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Knox County looks the way it does
Turnout in Knox 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
- Warren County, IL R+22
- Mercer County, IL R+33
- Stark County, IL R+47
- Henry County, IL R+24
- Fulton County, IL R+31
- Henderson County, IL R+41
- McDonough County, IL R+11
- Peoria County, IL D+14
- Rock Island County, IL D+12
- Des Moines County, IA R+8
Counties with Similar Populations
- Newaygo County, MI R+40
- Franklin County, VT R+23
- Queen Anne's County, MD R+27
- Buffalo County, NE R+36
- Lamar County, TX R+50
- Carroll County, NH R+2
- Polk County, TX R+50
- Wilson County, TX R+50
- Bedford County, TN R+51
- Winona County, MN R+8
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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.