Near West Side is a Democratic stronghold. About 84% of voters here vote Democratic and 16% Republican.
About 51% of adults in Near West Side typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Near West Side, ~43% vote Democratic, ~8% Republican, and ~49% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Near West Side compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Near West Side leans more Democratic than 28 of 46 neighbors.
Near West Side runs about 57 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Near West Side. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+80) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+55), a spread of about 25 points.
Why Near West 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 West Side, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 63% of adults in Near West Side hold a bachelor's degree, about 34 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 62% of adults in Near West Side have never been married, above 94% of neighborhoods.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Near West Side, Chicago, IL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Near West Side looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 66% of households in Near West Side rent, about 41 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- University Village, Chicago, IL D+67
- Greektown, Chicago, IL D+59
- Claremont Cottages, Chicago, IL D+71
- Pilsen, Chicago, IL D+62
- Lower West Side, Chicago, IL D+58
- West Town, Chicago, IL D+69
- Printers Row, Chicago, IL D+69
- Ukrainian Village, Chicago, IL D+72
- Loop, Chicago, IL D+57
- Near North Side, Chicago, IL D+53
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- The Lakes, Las Vegas, NV D+9
- Mayfield, Philadelphia, PA D+9
- Juniata Park-Feltonville, Philadelphia, PA D+44
- Serra Mesa, San Diego, CA D+30
- South Central, Reno, NV D+16
- Southeast, Raleigh, NC D+65
- Montecito Heights, Los Angeles, CA D+42
- Belmont, Philadelphia, PA D+85
- South Dallas Fair Park, Dallas, TX D+76
- Westwood, Cincinnati, OH D+46
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.