Urbana is a Democratic stronghold. About 76% of voters here vote Democratic and 24% Republican.
About 56% of adults in Urbana typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Urbana, ~43% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Urbana compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Urbana is the most Democratic-leaning.
Urbana runs about 41 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Urbana. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+70) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+3), a spread of about 68 points.
Why Urbana 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 Urbana, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 86% of residents in Urbana live in densely developed areas, about 50 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Urbana sits in the top quarter (about 48%, above 92% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 60% of adults in Urbana have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Urbana, IL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Urbana looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 58% of households in Urbana rent, about 33 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Champaign, IL D+45
- Savoy, IL D+29
- Philo, IL R+26
- St. Joseph, IL R+29
- Bondville, IL R+39
- Tolono, IL R+21
- Sidney, IL R+35
- Thomasboro, IL R+38
- Mahomet, IL R+11
- Seymour, IL R+36
Cities with Similar Populations
- Snohomish, WA R+10
- St. Louis Park, MN D+51
- Parkway, CA D+35
- Lawrence, IN D+30
- Haltom City, TX R+12
- Florence, KY R+19
- Grovetown, GA Even
- Bloomfield Hills, MI D+13
- Cerritos, CA D+20
- Bedford, TX R+6
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.