Melrose Park leans Democratic by roughly 22 points: about 61% of voters vote Democratic and 39% Republican.
About 43% of adults in Melrose Park typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Melrose Park, ~26% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~57% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Melrose Park compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Melrose Park leans more Democratic than 111 of 165 neighbors.
Melrose Park runs about 11 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Melrose Park. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+31) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+13), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Melrose Park 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 Melrose Park, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Melrose Park live in densely developed areas, about 63 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 44% of adults in Melrose Park have never been married, above 96% of cities.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Melrose Park, IL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Melrose Park looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Melrose Park is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 25%, about 17 points above the Illinois average of 8%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 36% of households in Melrose Park rent, above 92% of cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 31% of adults in Melrose Park report food insecurity, above 96% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Stone Park, IL D+23
- Northlake, IL D+17
- Bellwood, IL D+78
- Franklin Park, IL D+6
- River Grove, IL R+4
- Maywood, IL D+74
- Berkeley, IL D+44
- River Forest, IL D+55
- Hillside, IL D+53
- Elmwood Park, IL D+19
Cities with Similar Populations
- Williston, ND R+58
- Troy, OH R+33
- Sun Valley, CA D+17
- Lockport, IL R+12
- Bethel Park, PA D+5
- Burlington, NJ D+36
- Roseburg, OR R+20
- North Olmsted, OH Even
- Fair Oaks, VA D+40
- Foster City, CA D+50
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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.