These Are The 10 Most Conservative Cities In Illinois For 2019

Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2019. This is our third time ranking the most conservative places to live in Illinois.

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Well this has been one heck of a couple of years for the Republican Party. Never in my life time have I see anything like it — given that’s a relatively short lifetime, but who’s counting?

And now that we’re headed towards the next big election, we wanted to get a better sense of what parts of Illinois would be the most likely to back Donald Trump again.

Specifically, which cities have the highest number of conservative voters in the Prairie State?

In order to do so, we turned our sites on measuring how each city in Illinois with populations greater than 5,000 voted and contributed to political campaigns in the past several years. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted republican and gave the most to conservatives where named the most conservative cities in the state.

Here are the 10 most conservative places in Illinois for 2019:

If you’re wondering, Lansing is the most liberal city in Illinois of all those we measured.

And to be clear, we didn’t form this list based on our own biases — we relied on the cold hard data. For more on how we ran the numbers, keep on reading. Then we’ll take a closer look at each of our top 10 most conservative cities in Illinois.

And if you already knew these places were conservative, check out some more reading about Illinois and the most conservative places in the country:

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How we determined the most conservative cities in Illinois for 2019

We started by making a list of every city in Illinois over 5,000 people based on the 2013-2017 American Community Survey (The most recent data). That left us with 330 cities and towns.

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We then measured the voting record and donation data to determine which places lean the most rightward in their allegiances by:

Percentage Of Registered Republicans
# Of Contributions To Republicans Per Capita
$ Amount Contributed To Republicans Per Capita

Next, we ranked each city from 1 to 330 for each of the criteria where number one was the most conservative.

The winner, Effingham, is “The Most Conservative City in Illinois For 2019”.

Let’s go through these conservative places, shall we?

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The 10 Most Conservative Places In Illinois For 2019

1. Effingham

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 12,517
Percent Republican: 77.9%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $49.61
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.08
More on Effingham: Photos | Data

Effingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Effingham County, Illinois, United States. Effingham is one of the northernmost cities in southern Illinois. The population was 12,604 at the 2015 census estimate. Effingham is part of the Effingham, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

2. Vandalia

Source: Wikipedia User Jon Platek | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,013
Percent Republican: 76.9%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $3.75
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.01
More on Vandalia: Photos | Data

Vandalia is a town in Fayette County, Illinois, United States, 69 miles northeast of St. Louis, on the Kaskaskia River. It served as the state capital of Illinois from 1819 until 1839, when the seat of state government moved to Springfield. Vandalia was for years the western terminus of the National Road.

3. Olney

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,910
Percent Republican: 75.0%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $1.32
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.01
More on Olney: Photos | Data

Olney is a city in Richland County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,631 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Richland County.

4. Watseka

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,359
Percent Republican: 74.4%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $8.26
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.04
More on Watseka: Data

Watseka is a city in and the county seat of Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. It is located approximately 15 miles west of the Illinois-Indiana state line on U.S. Route 24.

5. Mount Carmel

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,032
Percent Republican: 74.1%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $1.13
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.01
More on Mount Carmel: Photos | Data

Mount Carmel is a city in and the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois, United States. At the time of the 2010 census, the population was 7,284, while the next largest town in Wabash County is Allendale, population 475. Located at the confluence of the Wabash, Patoka, and White Rivers, Mount Carmel borders both Gibson and Knox counties of Indiana. A small community known informally as East Mount Carmel sits near the mouth of the Patoka River on the opposite side of the Wabash River from Mount Carmel. Mount Carmel is 5 miles northeast of the Forest of the Wabash, a National Natural Landmark within Beall Woods State Park and about a mile north-northeast of one of its main employers, the Gibson Generating Station. Mount Carmel is also the home of Wabash Valley College, part of the Community College System of Eastern Illinois.

6. Harrisburg

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 9,344
Percent Republican: 72.7%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $29.8
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.02
More on Harrisburg: Photos | Data

7. Metropolis

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 6,239
Percent Republican: 72.4%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $13.55
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.14
More on Metropolis: Photos | Data

Metropolis is a city located along the Ohio River in Massac County, Illinois, United States. It has a population of 6,465 according to the 2013 estimate of the United States Census Bureau. Metropolis is the county seat of Massac County and is part of the Paducah, KY-IL Micropolitan Statistical Area in Southern Illinois.

8. Robinson

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,589
Percent Republican: 71.8%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $3.43
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.02
More on Robinson: Photos | Data

9. Paris

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,446
Percent Republican: 71.5%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $6.33
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.06
More on Paris: Data

Paris is a city in Paris Township, Edgar County, Illinois, 165 miles south of Chicago and 90 miles west of Indianapolis. In 1900, 6,105 people lived in Paris; in 1910, 7,664; and in 1940, 9,281. The population was 8,837 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Edgar County.

10. Chester

Source: Wikipedia User Leonard J. DeFr | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,597
Percent Republican: 70.6%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $16.44
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.04
More on Chester: Photos | Data

Chester is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, Illinois, United States, on a bluff above the Mississippi River. The population was 8,586 at the 2010 census. It lies 61 miles south of St. Louis, Missouri.

Summing Up The Conservative Strongholds in Illinois

Well there you have it, the places in Illinois that have the highest number of conservatives per capita, with Effingham ranking as the least conservative in the entire state.

If you’re curious, here are the least conservative cities in Illinois:

Lansing
Glencoe
Prospect Heights

For more Illinois reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Conservative Places In Illinois

Rank	City	Population	% Conservative
1	Effingham, IL	12,517	77.9%
2	Vandalia, IL	7,013	76.9%
3	Olney, IL	8,910	75.0%
4	Watseka, IL	5,359	74.4%
5	Mount Carmel, IL	7,032	74.1%
6	Harrisburg, IL	9,344	72.7%
7	Metropolis, IL	6,239	72.4%
8	Robinson, IL	7,589	71.8%
9	Paris, IL	8,446	71.5%
10	Chester, IL	8,597	70.6%
11	Quincy, IL	40,587	70.5%
12	Jerseyville, IL	8,131	70.5%
13	Benton, IL	7,050	70.1%
14	West Frankfort, IL	7,867	70.1%
15	Centralia, IL	12,582	69.4%
16	Pinckneyville, IL	5,412	69.4%
17	Salem, IL	7,044	69.4%
18	Du Quoin, IL	5,876	69.4%
19	Mount Vernon, IL	14,723	68.8%
20	Pana, IL	5,572	68.1%
21	Taylorville, IL	11,027	68.1%
22	Carterville, IL	5,785	67.7%
23	Herrin, IL	12,886	67.7%
24	Marion, IL	17,774	67.7%
25	Clinton, IL	7,260	67.2%
26	Pontiac, IL	12,047	66.5%
27	Hillsboro, IL	7,231	66.5%
28	Litchfield, IL	6,951	66.5%
29	Eureka, IL	5,800	66.5%
30	Lincoln, IL	13,912	66.0%
31	Columbia, IL	10,188	65.3%
32	Waterloo, IL	10,202	65.3%
33	Greenville, IL	6,746	64.6%
34	Carlinville, IL	5,327	64.0%
35	Beardstown, IL	6,004	62.8%
36	Monticello, IL	5,745	62.2%
37	Danville, IL	31,765	61.9%
38	Hoopeston, IL	5,186	61.9%
39	Jacksonville, IL	18,812	61.3%
40	Morton, IL	16,833	59.8%
41	Washington, IL	16,359	59.8%
42	East Peoria, IL	22,962	59.8%
43	Creve Coeur, IL	5,532	59.8%
44	Pekin, IL	33,747	59.8%
45	Charleston, IL	21,202	59.3%
46	Mattoon, IL	17,370	59.3%
47	Rochelle, IL	9,293	59.3%
48	Coal City, IL	5,574	57.9%
49	Minooka, IL	11,449	57.9%
50	Morris, IL	14,165	57.9%
51	Kewanee, IL	12,808	57.4%
52	Geneseo, IL	6,557	57.4%
53	Princeton, IL	7,698	56.0%
54	Spring Valley, IL	5,331	56.0%
55	Mount Zion, IL	5,979	55.9%
56	Decatur, IL	73,505	55.9%
57	Dixon, IL	15,257	55.6%
58	Monmouth, IL	9,011	54.8%
59	Freeport, IL	24,537	54.5%
60	Collinsville, IL	24,767	54.1%
61	Pontoon Beach, IL	5,881	54.1%
62	Edwardsville, IL	24,823	54.1%
63	Highland, IL	10,031	54.1%
64	Bethalto, IL	9,343	54.1%
65	East Alton, IL	6,158	54.1%
66	Granite City, IL	29,632	54.1%
67	Troy, IL	10,208	54.1%
68	Godfrey, IL	17,733	54.1%
69	Alton, IL	27,037	54.1%
70	Glen Carbon, IL	12,776	54.1%
71	Wood River, IL	10,326	54.1%
72	Maryville, IL	7,844	54.1%
73	Canton, IL	14,187	53.8%
74	Ottawa, IL	18,779	53.7%
75	Lasalle, IL	9,351	53.7%
76	Marseilles, IL	5,058	53.7%
77	Streator, IL	13,241	53.7%
78	Mendota, IL	6,980	53.7%
79	Peru, IL	9,947	53.7%
80	Belvidere, IL	25,358	53.4%
81	Manteno, IL	8,800	53.1%
82	Kankakee, IL	26,036	53.1%
83	Bourbonnais, IL	18,532	53.1%
84	Bradley, IL	15,515	53.1%
85	Macomb, IL	18,684	51.7%
86	Springfield, IL	116,313	50.8%
87	Chatham, IL	12,749	50.8%
88	Island Lake, IL	8,049	49.8%
89	Cary, IL	17,940	49.8%
90	Algonquin, IL	30,664	49.8%
91	Woodstock, IL	25,340	49.8%
92	Crystal Lake, IL	40,331	49.8%
93	Marengo, IL	8,280	49.8%
94	Spring Grove, IL	5,847	49.8%
95	Johnsburg, IL	6,302	49.8%
96	Lake In The Hills, IL	28,908	49.8%
97	Huntley, IL	26,265	49.8%
98	Harvard, IL	9,482	49.8%
99	Mchenry, IL	26,730	49.8%
100	Rock Falls, IL	8,898	49.3%