Merrillville leans heavily Democratic by roughly 48 points: about 74% of voters vote Democratic and 26% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Merrillville typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Merrillville, ~47% vote Democratic, ~16% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Merrillville compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Merrillville leans more Democratic than 68 of 97 neighbors.
Merrillville runs about 66 points more Democratic than Indiana as a whole. Indiana leans Republican overall, while Merrillville is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Merrillville. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+66) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+3), a spread of about 69 points.
Why Merrillville 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 Merrillville, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 80% of residents in Merrillville live in densely developed areas, about 44 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 40% of adults in Merrillville have never been married, above 93% of cities. Merrillville runs against the grain of Indiana, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Merrillville, IN 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 Merrillville looks the way it does
Turnout in Merrillville 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
- Schererville, IN R+5
- Griffith, IN D+4
- Hobart, IN R+7
- Crown Point, IN R+17
- Gary, IN D+70
- New Chicago, IN R+12
- St. John, IN R+27
- Highland, IN Even
- Winfield, IN R+23
- Lake Station, IN R+12
Cities with Similar Populations
- Adrian, MI R+13
- Wappingers Falls, NY R+4
- San Dimas, CA D+4
- Manor, TX D+30
- Severn, MD D+34
- Gahanna, OH D+21
- Saratoga Springs, NY D+23
- Rock Island, IL D+29
- Lemoore, CA R+15
- Southampton, PA R+8
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Indiana Secretary of State, 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.