Wilmette is a Democratic stronghold. About 75% of voters here vote Democratic and 25% Republican.
About 91% of adults in Wilmette typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wilmette, ~68% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~9% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wilmette compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Wilmette leans more Democratic than 118 of 128 neighbors.
Wilmette runs about 39 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Wilmette. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+69) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+40), a spread of about 29 points.
Why Wilmette 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 Wilmette, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 84% of adults in Wilmette hold a bachelor's degree, about 55 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Wilmette sits in the top fifth on density (about 95%, above 98% of cities).
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Wilmette, 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 Wilmette looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Wilmette is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 78%, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 99% of adults in Wilmette have completed high school, above 98% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Kenilworth, IL D+30
- Winnetka, IL D+36
- Evanston, IL D+76
- Skokie, IL D+27
- Northfield, IL D+26
- Golf, IL D+33
- Morton Grove, IL D+13
- Glencoe, IL D+47
- Glenview, IL D+21
- Lincolnwood, IL D+5
Cities with Similar Populations
- North Wales, PA D+17
- Youngsville, LA R+57
- Clinton, MS D+6
- Jenison, MI R+23
- Crosby, TX R+50
- East Lake-Orient Park, FL D+35
- Hermiston, OR R+28
- Fort Hood, TX R+3
- Muscatine, IA R+11
- Huntley, IL R+3
All Local Stats
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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.