Penrose leans heavily Republican by roughly 38 points: about 31% of voters vote Democratic and 69% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Penrose typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Penrose, ~24% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Penrose compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Penrose leans more Republican than 33 of 62 neighbors.
Penrose runs about 48 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Penrose is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Penrose. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+46) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+34), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Penrose 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 Penrose, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 88% of residents in Penrose drive to work alone, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 86% of households in Penrose are family households, above 97% of cities. Penrose runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Penrose, IL sits below 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 Penrose looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 98% of adults in Penrose have completed high school, about 6 points above the Illinois average of 92%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Sterling, IL R+5
- Woosung, IL R+26
- Nelson, IL R+23
- Hazelhurst, IL R+46
- Coleta, IL R+38
- Milledgeville, IL R+44
- Polo, IL R+30
- Galt, IL R+34
- Rock Falls, IL R+16
- Prairieville, IL R+27
Cities with Similar Populations
- Steamboat Rock, IA R+44
- Towne Oaks, IL R+38
- New Brunswick, IN R+55
- Ringsted, IA R+52
- Northtown, KY R+59
- Oberon, ND D+8
- Sechlerville, WI R+36
- Greencastle, MO R+69
- Happy Valley, AK R+32
- Shady Grove, IL R+65
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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.