akashic
1876–2024
State House District 79·Illinois

Illinois 79th State House District votes the way the country votes.

One of Illinois's most heavily Republican-leaning legislative districts

1876 — 2024·38 elections
IL
Latest
R+3
in 2024
Archetype
Bellwether
since the recent cycles
Population
172,086
2024 ACS

Illinois 79th State House District, Illinois: Bellwether district. In 2024, voted R+3%. Republican peak: R+59 in 1920.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+3MIT Election Lab
Political archetype
BellwetherAkashic typology
Population
172,0862024 5-year
Median household income
$95,2852024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
64.7%2024 5-year
Black
13.3%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
18.0%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+15 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+59 in 1920MIT Election Lab
2024 results by constituent county
4 counties · 2 D · 2 R
R+60
D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−3.2%
37,14939,64578,414
D
+3.1%
41,89039,31983,027
D
+3.1%
36,23833,92375,018
D
+5.5%
36,22932,36869,894
D
+13.1%
40,62831,08572,660
R
−3.6%
31,32833,70765,474
D
+1.3%
26,66025,96953,982
D
+8.8%
21,96618,03444,728
D
+5.7%
20,99318,22948,912
R
−13.1%
18,16523,70642,185
R
−20.9%
17,46926,80644,702
R
−18.4%
16,68424,89644,696
R
−7.9%
20,16523,69044,599
R
−29.2%
14,68826,85741,681
R
−10.8%
15,21619,41339,039
D
+14.7%
22,09716,43438,532
R
−3.1%
18,50219,67638,222
R
−28.6%
11,99321,61433,660
R
−16.3%
13,97219,42233,473
R
−7.8%
12,92015,11228,256
R
−6.0%
13,19614,87528,179
R
−3.7%
14,51715,63030,265
D
+10.9%
14,27411,29827,303
D
+8.3%
13,29911,22325,041
R
−8.5%
10,28912,22622,678
R
−51.1%
2,57811,69217,831
R
−58.8%
2,78511,62115,035
R
−24.0%
5,8669,67715,868
O
+0.0%
2,3772,3778,240
R
−33.7%
2,5455,3258,251
R
−49.1%
1,6175,3707,649
R
−27.4%
2,8935,1348,171
R
−28.3%
2,6964,8747,701
R
−6.3%
2,8103,1996,215
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Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
17.0%
Irish
12.1%
Polish
8.6%
Italian
7.1%
English
5.9%
American
2.7%
French
2.6%
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: 39.0 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.6%
85+
1.1%
2.1%
75–84
2.6%
4.5%
65–74
4.9%
6.4%
55–64
6.5%
6.7%
45–54
6.6%
6.6%
35–44
6.6%
6.3%
25–34
6.2%
4.7%
18–24
4.5%
9.0%
5–17
8.6%
2.8%
<5
2.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$95,285
State House District 79 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State House District 79$95,285
Illinois$83,390
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
9.3%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1812.3%
Working age (18–64)8.4%
Seniors (65+)9.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
80.4%
speak English only
Spanish12.5%
Other Indo-European4.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander2.1%
Other languages0.9%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
24.0%
Other Christian
6.2%
Pentecostal & Holiness
4.4%
Mainline Protestant
4.2%
Baptist
2.6%
Non-Christian
2.3%
Methodist
1.8%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 54.6% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

With a 2024 presidential margin of R+65.2, this downstate district sits among the state's most reliably one-sided constituencies, reflecting the deep rural-urban divide that has reshaped Illinois's legislative map over the past decade.

The Democratic margin in Illinois 79th State House District has rarely exceeded fifteen points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded fifty-nine points. 2024 delivered the district to the Republican candidate by three points.

Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most districts. A 65% non-Hispanic-white share, a 9% poverty rate, and a median household income of $95,285 — all within the broad national range.

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.
State House District 79, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/17079/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did State House District 79, Illinois vote in 2024?
In 2024, State House District 79, Illinois voted Republican by 3.2 points (R+3), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 78,414 votes cast, 37,149 went Democratic and 39,645 went Republican.
What is State House District 79, Illinois's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State House District 79, Illinois as a "Bellwether" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 10 times, Republican 23 times, and other 1 times.
When did State House District 79, Illinois last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State House District 79, Illinois voted Democratic was 2020.
How many people live in State House District 79, Illinois?
State House District 79, Illinois has a population of 172,086 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State House District 79, Illinois?
Median household income in State House District 79, Illinois is $95,285 — above the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of State House District 79, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State House District 79, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 10 went Democratic and 23 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.