Illinois 12th Congressional District, Illinois: Populist district. In 2024, voted R+34%. Republican peak: R+34 in 2024.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+34MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 868,1132024 5-year
- Median household income
- $67,4482024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 82.4%2024 5-year
- Black
- 9.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+24 in 1932MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+34 in 2024MIT Election Lab
R
BOST, Mike
−1 liberal+1 conservative
Predecessors: ENYART, Bill (2013–2015), COSTELLO, Jerry Francis (2011–2013), COSTELLO, Jerry Francis (2009–2011), COSTELLO, Jerry Francis (2007–2009)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 12, ILOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 135,541 | 280,564 | 423,223 | ||
| R | 144,061 | 288,392 | 442,135 | ||
| R | 131,463 | 269,658 | 424,160 | ||
| R | 167,402 | 232,690 | 409,468 | ||
| R | 207,580 | 216,428 | 431,398 | ||
| R | 182,526 | 237,615 | 422,992 | ||
| R | 178,283 | 200,441 | 389,138 | ||
| D | 182,519 | 144,870 | 370,696 | ||
| D | 206,074 | 138,836 | 421,713 | ||
| R | 188,566 | 191,973 | 382,447 | ||
| R | 171,395 | 236,366 | 409,556 | ||
| R | 164,140 | 222,827 | 405,510 | ||
| D | 216,019 | 189,533 | 410,673 | ||
| R | 160,386 | 238,783 | 400,858 | ||
| R | 163,258 | 190,518 | 398,050 | ||
| D | 248,020 | 156,779 | 404,799 | ||
| R | 203,025 | 225,489 | 429,117 | ||
| R | 183,448 | 226,955 | 410,907 | ||
| R | 192,119 | 229,645 | 422,582 | ||
| D | 186,021 | 177,037 | 366,160 | ||
| R | 180,511 | 205,751 | 388,691 | ||
| D | 235,650 | 235,522 | 474,180 | ||
| D | 242,107 | 189,729 | 441,161 | ||
| D | 232,615 | 141,798 | 382,070 | ||
| R | 156,248 | 182,941 | 341,841 | ||
| R | 115,980 | 146,932 | 309,526 | ||
| R | 102,655 | 165,569 | 289,450 | ||
| R | 155,091 | 162,354 | 327,886 | ||
| D | 78,001 | 54,700 | 175,772 | ||
| R | 82,150 | 88,801 | 179,401 | ||
| R | 63,583 | 85,045 | 160,183 | ||
| D | 82,017 | 81,847 | 167,365 | ||
| D | 81,844 | 79,257 | 163,089 | ||
| D | 66,937 | 63,026 | 141,584 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
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Congressional elections · 16 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | O | 0.0% | 41.5% | 4,098,896 |
| 2020 | D | 54.9% | 38.9% | 5,968,901 |
| 2016 | D | 54.9% | 39.8% | 5,491,878 |
| 2014 | D | 53.5% | 42.7% | 3,603,519 |
| 2010 | R | 46.4% | 48.0% | 3,704,473 |
| 2008 | D | 67.8% | 28.5% | 5,329,884 |
| 2004 | D | 70.0% | 27.0% | 5,141,520 |
| 2002 | D | 60.3% | 38.0% | 3,486,851 |
| 1998 | R | 47.4% | 50.3% | 3,394,521 |
| 1996 | D | 56.1% | 40.7% | 4,250,722 |
| 1992 | D | 53.3% | 43.1% | 4,939,558 |
| 1990 | D | 65.1% | 34.9% | 3,251,005 |
| 1986 | D | 65.1% | 33.7% | 3,122,883 |
| 1984 | D | 50.1% | 48.2% | 4,787,335 |
| 1980 | D | 56.0% | 42.5% | 4,580,029 |
| 1978 | R | 45.5% | 53.3% | 3,184,764 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
24.3%
English
11.6%
Irish
11.0%
American
6.2%
Italian
2.5%
Polish
2.0%
French
1.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 41.2 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$67,448
Congressional District 12 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 12$67,448
Illinois$83,390
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
14.2%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1818.3%
Working age (18–64)13.2%
Seniors (65+)11.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
96.1%
speak English only
Spanish2.0%
Other Indo-European1.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.6%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 51.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
IL-12 covers a swath of southern and southwestern Illinois where post-industrial river towns and rural counties have moved steadily rightward since the early 2000s, producing a 2024 presidential margin of R+15.4.
The Democratic margin in Illinois 12th Congressional District peaked at twenty-four points in 1932. By 2000 the district had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-four points, the most Republican-leaning result in the district's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $67,448 sits well below state and national norms, and 14% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Congressional District 12, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/1712/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 12, Illinois vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 12, Illinois voted Republican by 34.3 points (R+34), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 423,223 votes cast, 135,541 went Democratic and 280,564 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 12, Illinois's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 12, Illinois as a "Populist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 12 times, Republican 22 times, and other 0 times.
When did Congressional District 12, Illinois last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 12, Illinois voted Democratic was 1996.
How many people live in Congressional District 12, Illinois?
Congressional District 12, Illinois has a population of 868,113 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 12, Illinois?
Median household income in Congressional District 12, Illinois is $67,448 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Congressional District 12, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 12, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 12 went Democratic and 22 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.