State Senate District 17 State Senate District (IL) — Elections 1876–2024

Illinois 17th State Senate District, Illinois: Democratic loyalist district. In 2024, voted D+32%. Republican peak: R+50 in 1920.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: D+32MIT Election Lab
Political archetype: Democratic loyalistAkashic typology
Population: 378,5012024 5-year
Median household income: $84,0722024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 47.6%2024 5-year
Black: 20.8%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 25.0%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+46 in 2008MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+50 in 1920MIT Election Lab

2024 results by constituent county

3 counties · 2 D · 1 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).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	D	+32.3%	100,817	50,784	155,065
2020	D	+40.8%	119,277	49,203	171,674
2016	D	+43.6%	110,717	40,837	160,379
2012	D	+41.1%	103,729	42,644	148,743
2008	D	+45.9%	113,978	41,740	157,356
2004	D	+33.2%	99,254	49,501	149,669
2000	D	+33.7%	88,276	42,862	134,751
1996	D	+35.4%	78,916	35,403	123,037
1992	D	+26.7%	84,630	44,367	150,597
1988	D	+9.2%	76,245	63,314	140,764
1984	R	−0.3%	75,051	75,547	151,590
1980	D	+8.3%	75,467	62,985	150,775
1976	D	+6.5%	80,492	70,505	153,846
1972	R	−10.1%	71,010	87,080	158,958
1968	D	+7.1%	78,537	67,224	159,446
1964	D	+25.1%	103,151	61,759	164,910
1960	D	+11.2%	91,864	73,376	165,702
1956	R	−15.5%	64,683	88,406	153,465
1952	R	−2.4%	77,324	81,180	158,938
1948	D	+7.3%	79,484	68,666	149,064
1944	D	+13.8%	83,131	62,966	146,516
1940	D	+9.3%	77,406	64,138	142,098
1936	D	+25.9%	82,405	47,617	134,294
1932	D	+13.3%	61,919	46,922	112,380
1928	R	−6.4%	48,171	54,792	103,749
1924	R	−42.7%	14,895	47,293	75,843
1920	R	−50.3%	13,271	44,079	61,285
1916	R	−8.9%	25,750	30,997	59,004
1912	O	+10.9%	9,041	5,772	29,878
1908	R	−21.0%	10,422	16,518	29,020
1904	R	−34.6%	7,040	16,525	27,415
1900	R	−8.0%	12,568	14,803	28,109
1896	R	−20.3%	10,381	15,777	26,569
1892	D	+9.5%	10,033	8,261	18,722
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.

German

10.5%

Irish

9.0%

Polish

7.1%

Italian

5.0%

English

4.0%

American

2.3%

French

1.3%

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: 38.2 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.7%

85+

1.3%

2.0%

75–84

2.7%

4.4%

65–74

5.1%

6.0%

55–64

6.3%

6.2%

45–54

6.2%

6.9%

35–44

6.9%

7.6%

25–34

7.7%

4.4%

18–24

4.4%

8.1%

5–17

7.8%

2.8%

2.7%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Median household income

2024 inflation-adjusted dollars

$84,072

State Senate District 17 ranks near the middle of US counties.

State Senate District 17$84,072

Illinois$83,390

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

13.0%

Children face moderate poverty.

Children under 1817.2%

Working age (18–64)11.7%

Seniors (65+)13.3%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

67.4%

speak English only

Spanish19.5%

Other Indo-European7.4%

Asian & Pacific Islander3.8%

Other languages1.9%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Catholic & Orthodox

28.5%

Non-Christian

6.7%

Other Christian

6.4%

Baptist

4.6%

Mainline Protestant

3.2%

Pentecostal & Holiness

2.3%

Methodist

1.2%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 47.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Anchored in rural downstate Illinois, this district recorded a 43-point Republican presidential margin in 2024 — among the widest in the state — reflecting the sharp rural-urban political divide that has reshaped Illinois's electoral map over the past decade.

The Democratic margin in Illinois 17th State Senate District reached its widest at forty-six points in 2008. The margin in 2024 was thirty-two points — still decisive.

Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $84,072, a 48% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 378,501 together describe a district whose political habits are deeply settled.

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Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

State Senate District 17, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/17017/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did State Senate District 17, Illinois vote in 2024?

In 2024, State Senate District 17, Illinois voted Democratic by 32.3 points (D+32), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 155,065 votes cast, 100,817 went Democratic and 50,784 went Republican.

What is State Senate District 17, Illinois's political archetype?

Akashic classifies State Senate District 17, Illinois as a "Democratic loyalist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 21 times, Republican 12 times, and other 1 times.

When did State Senate District 17, Illinois last vote Republican?

The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 17, Illinois voted Republican was 1984.

How many people live in State Senate District 17, Illinois?

State Senate District 17, Illinois has a population of 378,501 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, Illinois?

Median household income in State Senate District 17, Illinois is $84,072 — above the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.

What is the political history of State Senate District 17, Illinois?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State Senate District 17, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 21 went Democratic and 12 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Democratic loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.

Illinois 17th State Senate District has voted Democratic in ten straight presidential cycles.

Key facts

Demographics

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Frequently asked questions