Mattoon leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Mattoon typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Mattoon, ~23% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Mattoon compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Mattoon leans more Republican than 1 of 61 neighbors.
Mattoon runs about 44 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Mattoon is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Mattoon. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+48) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+27), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Mattoon 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 Mattoon, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Mattoon votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 54%, well above the Illinois average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Mattoon runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Mattoon, IL 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 Mattoon looks the way it does
Turnout in Mattoon 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 Cities
- Magnet, IL R+54
- Paradise, IL R+59
- Gays, IL R+61
- Loxa, IL R+45
- Lerna, IL R+56
- Trilla, IL R+60
- Humboldt, IL R+60
- Janesville, IL R+60
- Allenville, IL R+60
- Charleston, IL R+9
Cities with Similar Populations
- Fort Payne, AL R+63
- Evergreen Park, IL D+31
- Watervliet, NY D+17
- Fulshear, TX R+25
- Howard, WI R+12
- Bryn Mawr, PA D+40
- Canyon Lake, TX R+48
- Stroudsburg, PA Even
- Melville, NY R+4
- Lillington, NC R+24
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.