Putnam leans Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 87% of adults in Putnam typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Putnam, ~30% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~13% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Putnam compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Putnam leans more Republican than 18 of 72 neighbors.
Putnam runs about 41 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Putnam is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Putnam 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 Putnam, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 87% of residents in Putnam drive to work alone, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Putnam runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with homeowner-heavy households tend to turn out at a higher rate; Putnam, IL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Putnam looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. More than 99% of households in Putnam own their home, about 20 points above the Illinois average of 80%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Whitefield, IL R+45
- Hennepin, IL R+30
- Bureau Junction, IL R+26
- Tiskilwa, IL R+42
- Saratoga Center, IL R+47
- Henry, IL R+31
- Milo, IL R+46
- Bureau, IL R+42
- Mark, IL R+29
- DePue, IL D+2
Cities with Similar Populations
- Mayetta, NJ R+32
- Flensburg, MN R+65
- Kismet, KS R+76
- Poland Spring, ME R+23
- Thelma, KY R+66
- Ellisville, VA R+33
- Manassas, GA R+52
- Rochester, OH R+51
- Ward Springs, MN R+56
- Syria, IN R+61
All Local Stats
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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.