South Evanston is a Democratic stronghold. About 90% of voters here vote Democratic and 10% Republican.
About 72% of adults in South Evanston typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Evanston, ~65% vote Democratic, ~7% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South Evanston compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, South Evanston leans more Democratic than 16 of 17 neighbors.
South Evanston runs about 70 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within South Evanston. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+87) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+75), a spread of about 11 points.
Why South Evanston leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for South Evanston, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 77% of adults in South Evanston hold a bachelor's degree, about 48 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; South Evanston, Evanston, IL sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in South Evanston looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. South Evanston 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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 99% of adults in South Evanston have completed high school, above 88% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Downtown, Evanston, IL D+74
- Rogers Park, Chicago, IL D+75
- West Ridge, Chicago, IL D+21
- Central Street Merchant District, Evanston, IL D+77
- Granville Gardens, Chicago, IL D+40
- Edgewater, Chicago, IL D+71
- Andersonville, Chicago, IL D+84
- Gross Point, Wilmette, IL D+47
- North Park, Chicago, IL D+28
- Lincoln Square, Chicago, IL D+54
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- West Grand, Grand Rapids, MI D+33
- Ellet, Akron, OH R+4
- Broadmoor-Anderson Isle-Shreve Isle, Shreveport, LA R+7
- Greenwood, Seattle, WA D+72
- Strawberry Mansion, Philadelphia, PA D+89
- University, Denver, CO D+57
- Hamilton Area, Baltimore, MD D+68
- Belair-Edison, Baltimore, MD D+85
- Deaveaux, Toledo, OH D+23
- Summit-University, St. Paul, MN D+72
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.