Wheeling leans Democratic by roughly 16 points: about 58% of voters vote Democratic and 42% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Wheeling typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wheeling, ~32% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wheeling compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Wheeling leans more Democratic than 94 of 167 neighbors.
Wheeling runs about 4 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Wheeling. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+22) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+7), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Wheeling 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 Wheeling, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 94% of residents in Wheeling live in densely developed areas, about 58 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Wheeling sits in the top quarter (about 42%, above 88% of cities).
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Wheeling, IL sits in the top 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 Wheeling looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Wheeling is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 35% of households in Wheeling rent, above 90% of cities. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 6% of homes in Wheeling have more than one occupant per room, above 92% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Prospect Heights, IL D+9
- Buffalo Grove, IL D+25
- Riverwoods, IL D+29
- Arlington Heights, IL D+19
- Lincolnshire, IL D+28
- Deerfield, IL D+45
- Northbrook, IL D+32
- Mount Prospect, IL D+12
- Bannockburn, IL D+26
- Palatine, IL D+19
Cities with Similar Populations
- Manitowoc, WI R+11
- Hazleton, PA R+18
- Belleville, NJ D+10
- Shawnee, OK R+39
- London, KY R+62
- Plainfield, IN R+19
- Milledgeville, GA D+2
- Somerset, KY R+53
- West Fargo, ND R+15
- Phoenixville, PA D+24
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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.