Wayne County is a Republican stronghold. About 17% of voters here vote Democratic and 83% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Wayne County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wayne County, ~12% vote Democratic, ~60% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wayne County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Wayne County is the most Republican-leaning.
Wayne County runs about 76 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Wayne County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Wayne County. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+77) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+62), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Wayne County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Wayne County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Wayne County, about 95% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 10 points below the Illinois average of 27%. Wayne County runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with homeowner-heavy households tend to turn out at a higher rate; Wayne County, IL sits above the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Wayne County looks the way it does
Turnout in Wayne County 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 Counties
- Edwards County, IL R+64
- Clay County, IL R+63
- Hamilton County, IL R+62
- White County, IL R+59
- Jefferson County, IL R+44
- Richland County, IL R+50
- Wabash County, IL R+51
- Marion County, IL R+47
- Franklin County, IL R+52
- Lawrence County, IL R+47
Counties with Similar Populations
- Long County, GA R+26
- Parke County, IN R+59
- Union County, FL R+61
- Lawrence County, AR R+65
- Bayfield County, WI D+6
- Wayne County, TN R+71
- Appomattox County, VA R+44
- Crawford County, WI R+26
- Trinity County, CA R+14
- Dade County, GA R+64
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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.