Sunbeam leans heavily Republican by roughly 38 points: about 31% of voters vote Democratic and 69% Republican.
About 88% of adults in Sunbeam typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sunbeam, ~27% vote Democratic, ~61% Republican, and ~12% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sunbeam compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sunbeam leans more Republican than 38 of 58 neighbors.
Sunbeam runs about 50 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Sunbeam is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Sunbeam. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+47) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+35), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Sunbeam 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 Sunbeam, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Sunbeam votes against the grain of Illinois. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Sunbeam runs about 50 points more Republican. Rural areas vote Republican, and Sunbeam sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 5%, below 79% of cities). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 78% of households in Sunbeam are family households, above 84% of cities.
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a rural land-use pattern tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Sunbeam, IL does.
Why turnout in Sunbeam looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 92% of households in Sunbeam own their home, about 13 points above the Illinois average of 80%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Sunbeam have completed high school, above 97% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Seaton, IL R+47
- Burgess, IL R+35
- Aledo, IL R+28
- Little York, IL R+44
- Alexis, IL R+38
- Viola, IL R+27
- Joy, IL R+50
- Millersburg, IL R+50
- Keithsburg, IL R+41
- Matherville, IL R+30
Cities with Similar Populations
- Anton, CO R+78
- Arbacoochee, AL R+86
- Holcomb, IL R+34
- Kokomo, TX R+78
- Turkey River, IA R+37
- Tillman, IN R+55
- Marrs Center, IN R+46
- Clayton, SC D+40
- Thomasville, IL R+50
- Kimbrough, AL D+57
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.