Thornwood is a true toss-up. About 48% of voters here vote Democratic and 52% Republican.
About 93% of adults in Thornwood typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Thornwood, ~45% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~7% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Thornwood compares
Thornwood runs about 14 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Thornwood is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Thornwood 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 Thornwood, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Thornwood votes against the grain of Illinois. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Thornwood runs about 14 points more Republican.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Thornwood, South Elgin, IL sits in the bottom 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 Thornwood looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Thornwood 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 98% of households in Thornwood own their home, compared to around 76% in nearby neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Maple Manor, Elgin, IL D+24
- Elgin Historic District, Elgin, IL D+38
- Valley View, Glen Ellyn, IL D+5
- Randall Hills, North Aurora, IL D+13
- Coventry, Crystal Lake, IL D+5
- Frontenac, Aurora, IL D+26
- Sycamore Manor, Sycamore, IL D+14
- Winston Park, Palatine, IL D+18
- Scarsdale, Arlington Heights, IL D+25
- Tall Grass, Naperville, IL D+19
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Maple High-Six Corners, Springfield, MA D+44
- Highlands, Manchester, NH D+11
- Midtown, Oklahoma City, OK D+40
- The Lanes, Waltham, MA D+29
- Spring Creek, San Antonio, TX D+2
- Center City, Midland, MI D+5
- Cielo Vista South, El Paso, TX D+20
- Downtown Huntsville, Huntsville, AL D+8
- Bowman, Louisville, KY D+19
- Lakeshore, Jacksonville, FL R+14
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.