Colorado 17th State Senate District, Colorado: Realigner district. In 2024, voted D+51%. Democratic peak: D+69 in 1896.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+51MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- RealignerAkashic typology
- Population
- 38,4082024 5-year
- Median household income
- $103,8882024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 77.5%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 15.7%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+69 in 1896MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+37 in 1892MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State Senate District 17, COOne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 16,863 | 5,244 | 22,731 | ||
| D | 17,804 | 5,362 | 23,695 | ||
| D | 14,715 | 5,095 | 21,474 | ||
| D | 13,931 | 5,935 | 20,374 | ||
| D | 13,812 | 5,321 | 19,442 | ||
| D | 11,663 | 6,028 | 17,929 | ||
| D | 7,689 | 5,728 | 15,461 | ||
| D | 6,957 | 4,691 | 13,419 | ||
| D | 7,078 | 3,753 | 14,007 | ||
| D | 6,301 | 5,363 | 11,861 | ||
| R | 4,634 | 5,973 | 10,771 | ||
| R | 3,136 | 4,541 | 9,644 | ||
| R | 3,693 | 4,758 | 9,012 | ||
| R | 3,252 | 4,554 | 7,975 | ||
| R | 1,945 | 3,094 | 5,366 | ||
| D | 2,564 | 1,952 | 4,541 | ||
| R | 1,397 | 2,249 | 3,660 | ||
| R | 946 | 1,919 | 2,881 | ||
| R | 896 | 1,744 | 2,668 | ||
| R | 1,021 | 1,197 | 2,296 | ||
| R | 858 | 1,181 | 2,052 | ||
| R | 1,045 | 1,242 | 2,312 | ||
| D | 1,142 | 845 | 2,042 | ||
| D | 981 | 879 | 1,954 | ||
| R | 509 | 1,111 | 1,642 | ||
| R | 375 | 887 | 1,502 | ||
| R | 487 | 765 | 1,309 | ||
| D | 857 | 466 | 1,398 | ||
| D | 498 | 284 | 1,220 | ||
| D | 653 | 560 | 1,325 | ||
| R | 451 | 623 | 1,147 | ||
| D | 574 | 419 | 1,031 | ||
| D | 682 | 117 | 814 | ||
| O | 0 | 152 | 414 | ||
| R | 134 | 190 | 344 | ||
| R | 108 | 165 | 318 | ||
| R | 88 | 147 | 268 | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
18.2%
English
14.8%
Irish
12.4%
Italian
5.2%
American
3.0%
Polish
2.9%
French
2.8%
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: 37.6 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
$103,888
State Senate District 17 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State Senate District 17$103,888
Colorado$95,470
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
11.0%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 187.2%
Working age (18–64)11.9%
Seniors (65+)10.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
84.7%
speak English only
Spanish8.7%
Other Indo-European3.6%
Asian & Pacific Islander2.5%
Other languages0.5%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 64.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Colorado Senate District 17 recorded an R+77.9 presidential margin in 2024, making it among the state's most heavily one-sided districts. Its rural geography and sparse population of roughly 165,000 reflect the patterns common to Colorado's Eastern Plains and mountain corridors.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Colorado 17th State Senate District peaked at sixty-nine points in 1896; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1988 election delivered the district to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of eight points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. The median household income of $103,888 is among the lowest at this geographic scale; 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line.
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 Senate District 17, Colorado. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/08017/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State Senate District 17, Colorado vote in 2024?
In 2024, State Senate District 17, Colorado voted Democratic by 51.1 points (D+51), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 22,731 votes cast, 16,863 went Democratic and 5,244 went Republican.
What is State Senate District 17, Colorado's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State Senate District 17, Colorado as a "Realigner" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 18 times, Republican 18 times, and other 1 times.
When did State Senate District 17, Colorado last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 17, Colorado voted Republican was 1984.
How many people live in State Senate District 17, Colorado?
State Senate District 17, Colorado has a population of 38,408 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State Senate District 17, Colorado?
Median household income in State Senate District 17, Colorado is $103,888 — above the national median of $80,734. The Colorado state median is $95,470.
What is the political history of State Senate District 17, Colorado?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State Senate District 17, Colorado from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 18 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Realigner" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.