Oak Park is a Democratic stronghold. About 89% of voters here vote Democratic and 11% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Oak Park typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Oak Park, ~72% vote Democratic, ~9% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Oak Park compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Oak Park leans more Democratic than 152 of 159 neighbors.
Oak Park runs about 67 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Oak Park. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+85) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+73), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Oak Park 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 Oak Park, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Oak Park live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Oak Park sits in the top quarter (about 73%, in the top fraction of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 35% of adults in Oak Park have never been married, above 88% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Oak Park, IL sits in the top 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 Oak Park looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Oak Park 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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Oak Park have completed high school, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Forest Park, IL D+67
- River Forest, IL D+55
- Berwyn, IL D+37
- Elmwood Park, IL D+19
- Maywood, IL D+74
- Cicero, IL D+34
- Hines, IL D+73
- North Riverside, IL D+18
- Broadview, IL D+72
- River Grove, IL R+4
Cities with Similar Populations
- Fuquay-Varina, NC R+4
- Hacienda Heights, CA D+15
- Tinley Park, IL R+4
- Hollister, CA D+13
- Catalina Foothills, AZ D+20
- Peabody, MA D+4
- Diamond Bar, CA D+11
- Hialeah Gardens, FL R+43
- Covington, LA R+39
- Redford, MI D+49
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.