Sunnyland leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Sunnyland typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sunnyland, ~31% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sunnyland compares
Sunnyland runs about 33 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Sunnyland is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Sunnyland 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 Sunnyland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Sunnyland, about 97% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 13% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 14 points below the Illinois average of 27%. Sunnyland 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; Sunnyland, Washington, IL sits below the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Sunnyland looks the way it does
Turnout in Sunnyland 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 Neighborhoods
- East Bluff, Peoria, IL D+57
- Center Bluff, Peoria, IL D+47
- Sunset Hills, Peoria, IL D+49
- Downtown Normal, Normal, IL D+48
- South Hill, Bloomington, IL D+20
- Historic West-Side, Springfield, IL D+39
- Springfield Lake Shore Improvement, Springfield, IL R+6
- Park Hill, Moline, IL D+18
- West Urbana, Urbana, IL D+72
- Lakewood Springs, Plano, IL Even
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Alma, San Jose, CA D+36
- San Antonio Creekside, San Antonio, TX D+11
- Gaffney Lane, Oregon City, OR R+4
- Bryce Canyon North, Oxnard, CA D+36
- Rock Spring, Arlington, VA D+43
- Mosswood, Oakland, CA D+82
- Arlington, Birmingham, AL D+90
- Ravendale, Detroit, MI D+86
- Roosevelt-Toledo, Toledo, OH D+89
- Independence Plaza, Kansas City, MO D+61
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.