Zion leans heavily Democratic by roughly 38 points: about 69% of voters vote Democratic and 31% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Zion typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Zion, ~38% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Zion compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Zion leans more Democratic than 96 of 101 neighbors.
Zion runs about 27 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Zion. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+47) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+12), a spread of about 35 points.
Why Zion 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 Zion, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 90% of residents in Zion live in densely developed areas, about 53 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 41% of adults in Zion have never been married, above 94% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Zion, 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 Zion looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Zion 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 36% of households in Zion rent, compared to around 21% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 26% of adults in Zion report food insecurity, above 91% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Winthrop Harbor, IL R+3
- Beach Park, IL D+18
- Wadsworth, IL D+4
- Rosecrans, IL R+4
- Waukegan, IL D+39
- Pleasant Prairie, WI R+7
- Park City, IL D+28
- Gurnee, IL D+22
- Old Mill Creek, IL D+6
Cities with Similar Populations
- Rolling Meadows, IL D+14
- Mountain House, CA D+12
- Avon Park, FL R+22
- Bardstown, KY R+37
- Camp Lejeune, NC R+3
- Barnegat, NJ R+27
- Solon, OH D+26
- Crawfordville, FL R+47
- Roselle, IL Even
- Bronxville, NY D+26
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.