Topeka leans heavily Republican by roughly 50 points: about 25% of voters vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Topeka typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Topeka, ~20% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Topeka compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Topeka leans more Republican than 43 of 69 neighbors.
Topeka runs about 60 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Topeka is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Topeka 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 Topeka, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 5% of adults in Topeka hold a bachelor's degree, about 21 points below the Illinois average of 27%. Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Non-Hispanic white share in Topeka is about 98%, about 25 points above the U.S. average of 72%. Topeka runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Topeka, IL sits in the bottom tenth 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 Topeka looks the way it does
Turnout in Topeka 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
- Liverpool, IL R+46
- Forest City, IL R+52
- Eckard, IL R+49
- Little America, IL R+47
- Maples Mill, IL R+46
- Poplar City, IL R+54
- Havana, IL R+40
- Manito, IL R+47
- Easton, IL R+58
Cities with Similar Populations
- Keswick, IA R+54
- Moselle, SC R+25
- French Lake, MN R+43
- Pansy, WV R+80
- Briarcliff, AR R+56
- Forest Home, AL R+24
- Browning, KY R+57
- Edmonson, TX R+78
- Milnesville, PA R+30
- Hulington, OH R+54
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.