HarrisDemocratic34.8%7,495TrumpRepublican63.3%13,606KennedyIndependent1.7%368
R+28.4- Lead
- 6,111
- Total
- 21,507
- vs nation
- R+26.9
- Turnout
- 57.7%
Akashiccounty
Coles County, IL
Office (updates table and map)
President margin by year
Place winner margin
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
The precinct map shows the 2024 presidential vote; the timeline scrubs the county’s overall result across 1892–2024.
President results by year
2024 turnout 57.7% of 37,642 citizens 18+
BidenDemocratic35.6%8,067TrumpRepublican61.9%14,037JorgensenLibertarian1.3%306
R+26.3- Lead
- 5,970
- Total
- 22,668
- vs nation
- R+30.8
- Turnout
- 55.1%
ClintonDemocratic33.3%7,309TrumpRepublican59.3%13,003JohnsonLibertarian4.7%1,025
R+26.0- Lead
- 5,694
- Total
- 21,918
- vs nation
- R+28.1
- Turnout
- 51.6%
ObamaDemocratic43.2%9,262RomneyRepublican54.3%11,631JOHNSONLibertarian1.4%306
R+11.1- Lead
- 2,369
- Total
- 21,437
- vs nation
- R+14.9
- Turnout
- —
ObamaDemocratic50.8%11,716McCainRepublican47.6%10,978OtherAll other candidates1.7%382
D+3.2- Lead
- 738
- Total
- 23,076
- vs nation
- R+4.1
- Turnout
- —
KerryDemocratic42.0%9,566BushRepublican57.1%13,015OtherAll other candidates0.9%199
R+15.1- Lead
- 3,449
- Total
- 22,780
- vs nation
- R+12.7
- Turnout
- —
GoreDemocratic44.3%8,904BushRepublican52.2%10,495NaderGreen2.5%507
R+7.9- Lead
- 1,591
- Total
- 20,093
- vs nation
- R+8.4
- Turnout
- —
ClintonDemocratic46.4%8,950DoleRepublican41.7%8,038PerotReform11.1%2,137
D+4.7- Lead
- 912
- Total
- 19,298
- vs nation
- R+3.8
- Turnout
- —
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+28.4MIT Election Lab
- Population
- 46,7772024 5-year
- Population density
- 92 / sq mi2024 5-year · TIGER/Line
- Land area
- 508 sq miTIGER/Line
- Median household income
- $56,4782024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 88.0%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.6%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.9%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+20.3 in 1932MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+38.6 in 1928MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Delaware County, IN · twin score 86.3
Midterm durability
Total general-election participants divided by same-year citizen voting-age population. These are total ballots or participating voters—not presidential candidate votes.
- 2024 total turnout
- 57.7%21,733 participants ÷ 37,642 CVAP
- 2020→2022 drop-off
- +11.1 ptsVolatile
- Drop-off versus state
- -11.0 ptsPositive means a larger decline than the statewide pattern
- Mechanical 2026 scenario
- 46.6%–47.5%Recent-cycle and two-cycle persistence scenarios; not a forecast
| Election | Participants | CVAP | Turnout | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 · Presidential | 21,918 | 42,504 | 51.6% | C/A |
| 2018 · Midterm | 17,543 | 41,635 | 42.1% | A/A |
| 2020 · Presidential | 22,778 | 41,366 | 55.1% | A/A |
| 2022 · Midterm | 16,806 | 38,236 | 44.0% | C/A |
| 2024 · Presidential | 21,733 | 37,642 | 57.7% | A/A |
Sources and methods
- 2016: numerator source 159, denominator source 157; top ticket votes; canonical-complete-contest-floor-v1; allocation share 0.0%; series 148/111.
- 2018: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 297/138.
- 2020: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 301/2.
- 2022: numerator source 159, denominator source 157; top ticket votes; canonical-complete-contest-floor-v1; allocation share 0.0%; series 154/183.
- 2024: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:native; allocation share 0.0%; series 311/228.
presidential history
Party record book
Coles County, IL · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 · 34 presidential cycles
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Franklin D. Roosevelt1932
59.7%
11,081 votes · D+20.3
Runner-up · Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1936 · 57.2%
Republican
Herbert Hoover1928
69.1%
11,479 votes · R+38.6
Runner-up · Ronald Reagan, 1984 · 65.9%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Franklin D. Roosevelt1936
11,931votes
57.2% of the vote · D+15.0
Runner-up · Barack Obama, 2008 · 11,716 votes
Republican
Ronald Reagan1984
14,044votes
65.9% of the vote · R+32.3
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 14,037 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
James M. Cox1920
+7.3pts D vs U.S.
Place R+18.9 · U.S. R+26.2
Runner-up · John W. Davis, 1924 · +6.8 pts
Republican
Donald Trump2020
+30.8pts R vs U.S.
Place R+26.3 · U.S. D+4.5
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2016 · +28.1 pts
U.S. House elections · 2 House
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
U.S. House
Each row shows U.S. House votes counted inside this Place. “Vote lead” is the local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
| Year | Vote lead | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 9.7%1,651 | 90.3%15,432 | 17,083 |
| 2020 | R | 36.8%8,247 | 63.2%14,133 | 22,380 |
voter registration
Registered voters
Total registered voters, over time
Registered voters
| Year | Total registered |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 30,780 |
| 2018 | 30,551 |
| 2020 | 31,260 |
| 2022 | 30,103 |
| 2024 | 30,501 |
domestic migration
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
−14 net domestic migration · 2025
20112025
Net −4,221 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $45,360 in average income, against $79,906 for residents who stayed — 43% lower. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+33.0 on average — 4.6 points more Republican-leaning than Coles County, IL itself (R+28.4).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Douglas County, IL77R+46.1
- Moultrie County, IL68R+49.0
- Champaign County, IL66D+23.8
- Cumberland County, IL64R+61.8
- Cook County, IL61D+41.6
- Shelby County, IL58R+60.2
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Douglas County, IL78
- Champaign County, IL74
- Cumberland County, IL70
- Moultrie County, IL63
- Cook County, IL56
- Effingham County, IL53
Migration is one input to a place’s political change, not its cause — a shift can also come from residents changing their minds, generational turnover, or turnout. These figures describe the places people moved between; they do not measure how any mover voted.
| Year | Net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2011 | −263 |
| 2012 | −358 |
| 2013 | −298 |
| 2014 | −630 |
| 2015 | −432 |
| 2016 | −464 |
| 2017 | −528 |
| 2018 | −538 |
| 2019 | −210 |
| 2021 | +721 |
| 2022 | −904 |
| 2023 | −104 |
| 2024 | −199 |
| 2025 | −14 |
Home to Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Coles County has shifted steadily toward Republican margins over the past two decades despite the moderating presence of a college-town electorate, posting R+28.4 in 2024.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 20.3 points in 1932 and a Republican high of 38.6 points in 1928. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 2.1 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 28.4 points.
A population of 46,777, a 88% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $56,478 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Delaware County and Vigo County.
Political twins — counties
The counties whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Delaware County
Indiana
86.3twin score
2000–2008 trajectorymedian agemedian income≠ elasticity
Vigo County
Indiana
86.3twin score
elasticity2008 marginmedian age≠ Scottish ancestry
Henderson County
Kentucky
81.6twin score
elasticity2008–2012 trajectorymedian income≠ Irish ancestry
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.
Browse places by community — income, education, race & ethnicity, language — all community cuts →
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.
Coles County, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/17029/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Embed this page
A live widget for your site — no API key, attribution built in, CC BY 4.0. All widgets & sizes →
Cities & towns in Coles County
Illinois at the ballot boxAll elections →
Frequently asked questions
How did Coles County, Illinois vote in 2024?
In 2024, Coles County, Illinois voted Republican by 28.4 points (R+28.4), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 21,507 votes cast, 7,495 went Democratic and 13,606 went Republican.
When did Coles County, Illinois last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Coles County, Illinois voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Coles County, Illinois?
Coles County, Illinois has a population of 46,777 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Coles County, Illinois?
Median household income in Coles County, Illinois is $56,478 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Coles County, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Coles County, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 8 went Democratic and 26 went Republican.