Putnam County leans Republican by roughly 28 points: about 36% of voters vote Democratic and 64% Republican.
About 84% of adults in Putnam County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Putnam County, ~30% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Putnam County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Putnam County leans more Republican than 7 of 12 neighbors.
Putnam County runs about 39 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Putnam County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Putnam County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+36) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+21), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Putnam 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 Putnam County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 87% of residents in Putnam County drive to work alone, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Putnam County runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Putnam County, IL sits below the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Putnam County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Putnam County 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 66%, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 81% of households in Putnam County own their home, above 84% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Putnam County have completed high school, above 83% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Bureau County, IL R+27
- Marshall County, IL R+37
- LaSalle County, IL R+21
- Stark County, IL R+47
- Woodford County, IL R+40
- Peoria County, IL D+14
- Lee County, IL R+21
- Livingston County, IL R+38
- Tazewell County, IL R+29
- Henry County, IL R+24
Counties with Similar Populations
- Lincoln County, MN R+49
- Bent County, CO R+29
- Tripp County, SD R+58
- Gray County, KS R+73
- Cameron Parish, LA R+86
- Dixon County, NE R+56
- Cook County, MN D+32
- Audubon County, IA R+46
- Lincoln County, CO R+61
- Lynn County, TX R+61
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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.