New Chicago leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 48% of adults in New Chicago typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in New Chicago, ~21% vote Democratic, ~27% Republican, and ~52% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How New Chicago compares
Among cities within 25 miles, New Chicago leans more Republican than 56 of 84 neighbors.
New Chicago runs about 7 points more Democratic than Indiana as a whole.
Why New Chicago 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 New Chicago, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
New Chicago votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 89%, far above the Indiana average of 25%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and New Chicago sits in the bottom quarter (about 9%, below 94% of cities).
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; New Chicago, IN sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in New Chicago looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. New Chicago is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 47%, about 14 points below the Indiana average of 61%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 43% of households in New Chicago rent, compared to around 23% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 27% of adults in New Chicago report food insecurity, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lake Station, IN R+12
- Hobart, IN R+7
- Gary, IN D+70
- Portage, IN Even
- Ogden Dunes, IN D+23
- Wheeler, IN R+33
- Merrillville, IN D+47
- Deep River, IN R+31
- Griffith, IN D+4
- Burns Harbor, IN R+11
Cities with Similar Populations
- Crawford, GA R+47
- Huntsville, UT R+35
- Gueydan, LA R+71
- Eaton, IN R+53
- Duchesne, UT R+72
- Oxford, WI R+32
- Gibbsboro, NJ Even
- Dayton, MD D+20
- Redland, TX R+67
- Beaver, OH R+62
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.