Near South Side is a Democratic stronghold. About 85% of voters here vote Democratic and 15% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Near South Side typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Near South Side, ~53% vote Democratic, ~10% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Near South Side compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Near South Side leans more Democratic than 24 of 36 neighbors.
Near South Side runs about 59 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Near South Side. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+77) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+63), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Near South Side leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Near South Side, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 79% of adults in Near South Side hold a bachelor's degree, about 51 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Near South Side, Chicago, IL sits in the top tenth 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 Near South Side looks the way it does
Turnout in Near South Side 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 Neighborhoods
- Printers Row, Chicago, IL D+69
- Armour Square, Chicago, IL D+16
- Douglas, Chicago, IL D+79
- Loop, Chicago, IL D+57
- University Village, Chicago, IL D+67
- Greektown, Chicago, IL D+59
- Pilsen, Chicago, IL D+62
- Bridgeport, Chicago, IL D+27
- Bronzeville, Chicago, IL D+76
- Locks, Chicago, IL D+30
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- North Linden, Columbus, OH D+37
- Las Tierras, El Paso, TX D+14
- Estrella-Tolleson, Tolleson, AZ D+24
- North Laurel, Scaggsville, MD D+45
- Landmark-Van Dom, Alexandria, VA D+54
- Greenbrier East, Chesapeake, VA D+8
- Glassell Park, Los Angeles, CA D+48
- Little Haiti, Miami, FL D+54
- Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, NY R+40
- Albany Park, Chicago, IL D+51
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.