Waukegan, IL Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Waukegan

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Waukegan leans heavily Democratic by roughly 40 points: about 70% of voters vote Democratic and 30% Republican.

 

About 43% of adults in Waukegan typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Waukegan, ~30% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~57% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Waukegan compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Waukegan leans more Democratic than 107 of 113 neighbors.

Waukegan runs about 29 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Waukegan. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+49) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+30), a spread of about 19 points.

Why Waukegan 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 Waukegan, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. About 92% of residents in Waukegan live in densely developed areas, about 56 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 44% of adults in Waukegan have never been married, above 96% of cities.

Population density and Democratic lean

Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Waukegan, IL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.

Why turnout in Waukegan looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Waukegan is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 22%, about 14 points above the Illinois average of 8%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 48% of households in Waukegan rent, compared to around 32% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 29% of adults in Waukegan report food insecurity, above 95% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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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.