Rock Falls leans Republican by roughly 16 points: about 42% of voters vote Democratic and 58% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Rock Falls typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rock Falls, ~29% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rock Falls compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Rock Falls leans more Republican than 2 of 55 neighbors.
Rock Falls runs about 27 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Rock Falls is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Rock Falls. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+32) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+3), a spread of about 29 points.
Why Rock Falls 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 Rock Falls, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rock Falls votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 60%, well above the Illinois average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Rock Falls sits in the bottom quarter (about 15%, below 78% of cities). Rock Falls runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Rock Falls, IL sits in the top quarter 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 Rock Falls looks the way it does
Turnout in Rock Falls 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
- Sterling, IL R+5
- Yeoward Addition, IL R+39
- Como, IL R+37
- Galt, IL R+34
- Nelson, IL R+23
- Harmon, IL R+28
- Penrose, IL R+38
- Round Grove, IL R+37
- Deer Grove, IL R+40
- Tampico, IL R+42
Cities with Similar Populations
- Sweetwater, TN R+63
- Lumberton, NJ D+19
- Port St. John, FL R+31
- Alma, AR R+59
- Midway City, CA R+8
- Eaton Rapids, MI R+27
- Rehoboth, MA R+10
- Salisbury, NY R+14
- Russellville, KY R+49
- Globe, AZ R+33
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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.