Pittsfield leans heavily Republican by roughly 44 points: about 28% of voters vote Democratic and 72% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Pittsfield typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pittsfield, ~21% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pittsfield compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Pittsfield leans more Republican than 3 of 60 neighbors.
Pittsfield runs about 55 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Pittsfield is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Pittsfield. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+54) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+40), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Pittsfield 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 Pittsfield, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 88% of residents in Pittsfield drive to work alone, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Pittsfield runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Pittsfield, IL sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Pittsfield looks the way it does
Turnout in Pittsfield 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 Cities
- Independence, IL R+68
- New Hartford, IL R+67
- Time, IL R+67
- Detroit, IL R+64
- Maysville, IL R+60
- New Salem, IL R+62
- Summer Hill, IL R+70
- Martinsburg, IL R+69
- Griggsville, IL R+62
- Milton, IL R+69
Cities with Similar Populations
- Newfield, NY D+3
- Fairfield, ME R+25
- Westmont, PA R+16
- Okolona, MS D+31
- Hayes, VA R+41
- Danville, AL R+78
- Eagar, AZ R+39
- Barrow, AK D+23
- McDonald, OH R+17
- Delta, UT R+65
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.