Manhattan leans heavily Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Manhattan typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Manhattan, ~28% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Manhattan compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Manhattan leans more Republican than 90 of 124 neighbors.
Manhattan runs about 41 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Manhattan is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Manhattan. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+44) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+26), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Manhattan 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 Manhattan, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Manhattan votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 52%, well above the Illinois average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 78% of households in Manhattan are family households, above 85% of cities. Manhattan runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Manhattan, 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 Manhattan looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Manhattan 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 90% of households in Manhattan own their home, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 99% of adults in Manhattan have completed high school, above 98% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- New Lenox, IL R+21
- Elwood, IL R+30
- Wilton Center, IL R+50
- Frankfort, IL R+7
- Mokena, IL R+17
- Symerton, IL R+47
- Rockdale, IL D+4
- Lincoln Estates, IL R+12
- Joliet, IL D+22
- Frankfort Square, IL R+13
Cities with Similar Populations
- Dudley, MA R+12
- Leicester, NC R+33
- Manistee, MI R+9
- Atoka, TN R+50
- Saucier, MS R+68
- Little Chute, WI R+16
- Marion, VA R+49
- Manasquan, NJ R+18
- Holtsville, NY R+28
- Hurricane, WV R+45
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.