Oak Park leans Democratic by roughly 26 points: about 63% of voters vote Democratic and 37% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Oak Park typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Oak Park, ~38% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Oak Park compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Oak Park leans more Democratic than 10 of 15 neighbors.
Oak Park runs about 40 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Oak Park is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Why Oak Park 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 Oak Park, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Oak Park votes against the grain of Iowa. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Oak Park runs about 40 points more Democratic.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Oak Park, Des Moines, IA sits above the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Oak Park looks the way it does
Turnout in Oak Park 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
- Highland Park, Des Moines, IA D+19
- River Bend, Des Moines, IA D+45
- Union Park, Des Moines, IA D+15
- Lower Beaver, Des Moines, IA D+23
- Beaverdale, Des Moines, IA D+39
- Capitol Park, Des Moines, IA D+33
- Drake, Des Moines, IA D+50
- Meredith, Des Moines, IA D+17
- Downtown Des Moines, Des Moines, IA D+53
- Fairmont Park, Des Moines, IA D+7
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Wedgemere Historic District, Winchester, MA D+52
- Church Hill, Richmond, VA D+74
- Holden-Parramore, Orlando, FL D+71
- Sunset Hills, Pittsburgh, PA D+34
- Saint Joseph, Louisville, KY D+51
- Washington Park Historic District, North Plainfield, NJ D+25
- Fairfield, Erie, PA R+4
- Glen Elder, Sacramento, CA D+26
- Miramar, Jacksonville, FL R+12
- Waterway Village, Kissimmee, FL D+6
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Iowa 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.