Lakewood is a true toss-up. About 48% of voters here vote Democratic and 52% Republican.
About 98% of adults in Lakewood typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lakewood, ~47% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~2% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lakewood compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Lakewood leans more Republican than 72 of 134 neighbors.
Lakewood runs about 15 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Lakewood is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Lakewood. The west side is the most split-leaning (R+16) and the east side is the least split-leaning (Even), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Lakewood 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 Lakewood, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Lakewood votes against the grain of Illinois. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Lakewood runs about 15 points more Republican.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with low food insecurity tend to turn out at a higher rate; Lakewood, IL sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Lakewood looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Lakewood 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 92% of households in Lakewood own their home, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Lakewood have completed high school, above 90% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lake in the Hills, IL Even
- Crystal Lake, IL D+3
- Ridgefield, IL R+6
- Huntley, IL R+3
- Algonquin, IL Even
- Prairie Grove, IL R+10
- Trout Valley, IL Even
- Cary, IL Even
- Oakwood Hills, IL R+10
- Woodstock, IL D+3
Cities with Similar Populations
- Wayne, IL R+7
- Ravena, NY R+14
- Saxonburg, PA R+40
- Trumansburg, NY D+34
- Reedsport, OR R+24
- Ellerslie, GA R+47
- East Bernstadt, KY R+69
- Barrett, TX D+28
- Quincy, MI R+45
- Port Ludlow, WA D+34
All Local Stats
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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.