† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupWaukeganIllinoisUnited States
Mexican44.4%14.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican4.2%1.7%1.8%
Honduran1.9%0.2%0.3%
Cuban0.9%0.2%0.7%
Colombian0.9%0.3%0.4%
Guatemalan0.7%0.3%0.5%
Salvadoran0.7%—0.7%
Ecuadorian0.5%0.3%—
German7.9%16.1%12.5%
Irish5.0%10.6%9.4%
Polish3.7%6.0%2.2%
English3.2%6.9%9.5%
Italian3.0%5.4%4.8%
American1.6%3.3%5.3%
Russian1.0%——
Swedish0.9%1.5%—
African American†15.1%12.1%9.9%
African0.8%0.5%0.5%
Nigerian0.5%0.3%0.2%
Jamaican0.5%—0.4%
Asian Indian2.4%2.1%1.4%
Filipino1.0%1.0%0.9%
Chinese0.8%1.0%1.3%
Korean0.6%0.4%0.4%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Waukegan
Illinois
United States
Median age
35.5
39.1
39.1
Age 18–24
10.9%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
12.0%
16.9%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Waukegan
Illinois
United States
Median household income
$71,919
$83,390
$84,427
Poverty rate
15.3%
11.8%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
20.9%
37.9%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Waukegan
Illinois
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
54.1%
24.1%
22.3%
Spanish
47.1%
14.0%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
1.3%
2.6%
2.0%
Tagalog (incl. Filipino)
2.1%
0.7%
0.6%
Other Asian & Pacific Island
1.3%
1.0%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
Waukegan
Illinois
United States
Catholic
—
24.2%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
11.7%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
49.2%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Waukegan, Illinois
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+34.3%
2008
+51.8%
2012
+48.5%
2016
+54.4%
2020
+51.9%
2024
+39.2%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
68.3%Harris14,585
29.2%Trump6,225
2.5%
D+39.2
R+12.8
D+40.6
21,339
D
74.9%Biden18,729
23.0%Trump5,743
2.1%
D+51.9
R+2.4
D+47.5
25,007
D
74.3%Clinton18,294
20.0%Trump4,911
5.7%
D+54.4
D+5.9
D+52.3
24,612
D
73.6%Obama17,081
25.1%Romney5,821
1.4%
D+48.5
R+3.3
D+44.6
23,223
D
75.3%Obama19,169
23.5%McCain5,983
1.2%
D+51.8
D+17.5
D+44.5
25,463
D
66.5%Kerry14,516
32.2%Bush7,035
1.2%
D+34.3
—
D+36.7
21,818
Waukegan's population is majority-minority, with Latino residents comprising roughly half the city, a demographic shift that has redrawn ward maps and altered turnout patterns in municipal and state legislative races over the past two decades.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 54.4 points in 2016. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 12.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 39.2 points.
A population of 89,076, a 18% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $71,919 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Berwyn and Watsonville.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Waukegan, Illinois voted Democratic by 39.2 points (D+39.2), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 21,339 votes cast, 14,585 went Democratic and 6,225 went Republican.
How many people live in Waukegan, Illinois?
Waukegan, Illinois has a population of 89,076 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Waukegan, Illinois?
Median household income in Waukegan, Illinois is $71,919 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Waukegan, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Waukegan, Illinois from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
