West Garfield Park is a Democratic stronghold. About 90% of voters here vote Democratic and 10% Republican.
About 46% of adults in West Garfield Park typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in West Garfield Park, ~41% vote Democratic, ~5% Republican, and ~54% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How West Garfield Park compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, West Garfield Park leans more Democratic than 36 of 37 neighbors.
West Garfield Park runs about 70 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Why West Garfield Park 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 West Garfield Park, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in West Garfield Park live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 63% of adults in West Garfield Park have never been married, above 95% of neighborhoods.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; West Garfield Park, Chicago, 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 West Garfield Park looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. West Garfield Park is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 40%, about 23 points below the Illinois average of 63%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 51% of adults in West Garfield Park report food insecurity, in the top fraction of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and West Garfield Park sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Whiskey Point, Chicago, IL D+48
- Central Park, Chicago, IL D+80
- North Lawndale, Chicago, IL D+78
- East Garfield Park, Chicago, IL D+79
- Mandell, Chicago, IL D+79
- Moreland, Chicago, IL D+77
- Humboldt Park, Chicago, IL D+61
- Claremont Cottages, Chicago, IL D+71
- Crawford, Chicago, IL D+38
- Bohemian California, Chicago, IL D+46
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Adamsville, Atlanta, GA D+86
- Windsor Park, Charlotte, NC D+44
- Riverside, Cambridge, MA D+78
- West Bench, Boise, ID D+4
- Drake, Des Moines, IA D+50
- Lower Northwood, Baltimore, MD D+84
- Southwest Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO R+9
- Turnagain, Anchorage, AK D+30
- Northwood Point, Irvine, CA D+8
- Silver Lake, Wilmington, NC Even
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.