Maryland leans heavily Republican by roughly 48 points: about 26% of voters vote Democratic and 74% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Maryland typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Maryland, ~17% vote Democratic, ~50% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Maryland compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Maryland leans more Republican than 65 of 66 neighbors.
Maryland runs about 60 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Maryland is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Maryland. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+50) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+36), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Maryland 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 Maryland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Maryland votes against the grain of Illinois. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Maryland runs about 60 points more Republican. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Maryland sits in the bottom quarter (about 13%, below 84% of cities). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 82% of households in Maryland are family households, above 94% of cities.
Population density, never-married share, and Republican lean
Places that combine low population density and a never-married-heavy adult population tend to lean Republican, as Maryland, IL does.
Why turnout in Maryland looks the way it does
Turnout in Maryland sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Haldane, IL R+50
- Forreston, IL R+42
- Mount Morris, IL R+25
- Polo, IL R+30
- Stratford, IL R+37
- Leaf River, IL R+39
- Hazelhurst, IL R+46
- Harper, IL R+48
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lahore, VA R+47
- Yah-ta-hey, NM D+30
- Hollywood, AR R+47
- Robinson Corner, NH R+9
- Moreland, AL R+88
- McCutcheon, MS D+9
- Dry Forks, AL D+4
- Encino, NM R+45
- Rodney, TX R+69
- Ursine, NV R+56
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.