Pope County is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Pope County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pope County, ~13% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pope County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Pope County leans more Republican than 17 of 23 neighbors.
Pope County runs about 71 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Pope County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Pope County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Pope County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 4% of residents in Pope County live in densely developed areas, about 29 points below the Illinois average of 33%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Pope County sits in the bottom quarter (about 16%, below 84% of counties). Pope County 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; Pope County, IL sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Pope County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 86% of households in Pope County own their home, about 6 points above the Illinois average of 80%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Hardin County, IL R+57
- Massac County, IL R+46
- Johnson County, IL R+41
- Livingston County, KY R+64
- Saline County, IL R+50
- McCracken County, KY R+30
- Crittenden County, KY R+68
- Gallatin County, IL R+60
- Williamson County, IL R+36
- Ballard County, KY R+62
Counties with Similar Populations
- Lake of the Woods County, MN R+40
- Ellis County, OK R+77
- Haskell County, KS R+66
- Knox County, MO R+66
- Sharkey County, MS D+48
- Lyman County, SD R+5
- Adams County, IA R+46
- Cavalier County, ND R+48
- Echols County, GA R+66
- Clark County, SD R+57
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.