Nilwood is a Republican stronghold. About 23% of voters here vote Democratic and 77% Republican.
About 84% of adults in Nilwood typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Nilwood, ~19% vote Democratic, ~65% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Nilwood compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Nilwood leans more Republican than 45 of 68 neighbors.
Nilwood runs about 64 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Nilwood is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Nilwood 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 Nilwood, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Nilwood, about 97% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 25 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 11% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 16 points below the Illinois average of 27%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 87% of residents in Nilwood drive to work alone, above 88% of cities. Nilwood runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Nilwood, IL sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Nilwood looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Nilwood is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 90% of households in Nilwood own their home, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Girard, IL R+42
- McVey, IL R+52
- Atwater, IL R+52
- Waggoner, IL R+54
- Standard City, IL R+49
- Scottville, IL R+56
- Virden, IL R+39
- Carlinville, IL R+33
- Womac, IL R+44
- Farmersville, IL R+53
Cities with Similar Populations
- Zena, NY D+60
- Langdon, NH R+27
- Nelsonia, VA D+6
- Nelta, TX R+82
- Juniper Springs, CA R+34
- Westby, MT R+59
- Cord, AR R+72
- Joinerville, TX R+69
- Noble, IA R+46
- Gholson, MS R+35
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.