Lake County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Lake County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lake County, ~37% vote Democratic, ~28% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lake County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Lake County leans more Democratic than 10 of 11 neighbors.
Lake County runs about 33 points more Democratic than Indiana as a whole. Indiana leans Republican overall, while Lake County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Lake County. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+73) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+21), a spread of about 94 points.
Why Lake 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 Lake County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 82% of residents in Lake County live in densely developed areas, about 46 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in Lake County have never been married, above 87% of counties. Lake County runs against the grain of Indiana, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Lake County, IN sits in the top quarter 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 Lake County looks the way it does
Turnout in Lake 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
- Porter County, IN R+11
- Cook County, IL D+42
- LaPorte County, IN R+11
- Jasper County, IN R+50
- Will County, IL D+6
- Kankakee County, IL R+9
- Newton County, IN R+54
- DuPage County, IL D+14
- Starke County, IN R+49
- Pulaski County, IN R+54
Counties with Similar Populations
- Richmond County, NY R+21
- Ada County, ID R+8
- Clark County, WA D+7
- Polk County, IA D+12
- Sonoma County, CA D+42
- Morris County, NJ Even
- Washoe County, NV D+3
- Prince William County, VA D+21
- Kane County, IL D+13
- Knox County, TN R+13
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Indiana Secretary of State, 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.