Lake Forest leans Democratic by roughly 16 points: about 58% of voters vote Democratic and 42% Republican.
About 87% of adults in Lake Forest typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lake Forest, ~51% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~12% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lake Forest compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Lake Forest leans more Democratic than 83 of 131 neighbors.
Lake Forest runs about 5 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Lake Forest. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+29) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+9), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Lake Forest 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 Forest, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 80% of adults in Lake Forest hold a bachelor's degree, about 51 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Lake Forest sits in the top fifth on density (about 83%, above 95% of cities).
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Lake Forest, IL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Lake Forest looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Lake Forest 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 98% of adults in Lake Forest have completed high school, above 94% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Highwood, IL D+34
- Bannockburn, IL D+26
- Lake Bluff, IL D+22
- Mettawa, IL D+19
- Highland Park, IL D+50
- Lincolnshire, IL D+28
- Great Lakes, IL D+35
- Deerfield, IL D+45
- Riverwoods, IL D+29
- Green Oaks, IL D+10
Cities with Similar Populations
- Fairfax Station, VA D+20
- Fulton, MO R+31
- Muscle Shoals, AL R+41
- Braselton, GA R+39
- Brookfield, IL D+23
- Hunters Creek, FL D+6
- Long Beach, MS R+39
- Lawrenceburg, TN R+62
- Ontario, OR R+34
- Godfrey, IL R+18
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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.