Lake City is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Lake City typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lake City, ~12% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lake City compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Lake City leans more Republican than 50 of 64 neighbors.
Lake City runs about 72 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Lake City is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Lake City 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 Lake City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 11% of adults in Lake City hold a bachelor's degree, about 15 points below the Illinois average of 27%. Lake City runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Lake City, IL sits below the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Lake City looks the way it does
Turnout in Lake City 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 Cities
- La Place, IL R+49
- Lintner, IL R+58
- Lovington, IL R+64
- Dalton City, IL R+59
- Bethany, IL R+50
- Hammond, IL R+51
- Williamsburg, IL R+67
- Long Creek, IL R+45
- Mount Zion, IL R+40
- Pierson, IL R+61
Cities with Similar Populations
- Welcome, FL R+72
- Seaforth, MN R+62
- East Franklin, ME R+13
- East Greenwich, NY R+15
- Griffith Creek, TN R+74
- Roma Creek, TX R+4
- Blue Mountain, AR R+72
- Carls Corner, TX R+69
- Lake Bluff, NY R+28
- Haigler, NE R+75
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.