State Senate District 45 State Senate District (IL) — Elections 1876–2024

Illinois 45th State Senate District, Illinois: Bellwether district. In 2024, voted R+9%. Republican peak: R+64 in 1920.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: R+9MIT Election Lab
Political archetype: BellwetherAkashic typology
Population: 385,1982024 5-year
Median household income: $68,9872024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 73.2%2024 5-year
Black: 8.7%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 13.5%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+9 in 2008MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+64 in 1920MIT Election Lab

2024 results by constituent county

7 counties · 2 D · 5 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	R	−8.5%	78,937	93,934	176,073
2020	R	−6.1%	83,884	95,089	184,044
2016	R	−7.4%	72,464	85,080	170,165
2012	D	+1.2%	83,524	81,427	168,558
2008	D	+9.2%	95,233	78,859	177,061
2004	R	−7.1%	78,675	90,752	170,752
2000	R	−7.0%	67,767	78,288	150,963
1996	R	−1.9%	60,171	62,736	137,119
1992	D	+0.7%	62,267	61,174	155,179
1988	R	−15.3%	58,206	79,362	138,438
1984	R	−25.9%	54,501	92,941	148,335
1980	R	−22.4%	42,438	74,812	144,502
1976	R	−15.7%	56,607	78,268	137,654
1972	R	−29.2%	47,849	87,429	135,586
1968	R	−21.1%	47,047	74,414	129,993
1964	D	+3.5%	66,317	61,810	128,127
1960	R	−21.3%	52,384	80,802	133,402
1956	R	−35.2%	38,840	81,032	120,014
1952	R	−31.2%	41,067	78,403	119,656
1948	R	−17.6%	39,073	55,932	95,832
1944	R	−20.7%	40,482	61,673	102,616
1940	R	−19.8%	44,146	66,012	110,700
1936	R	−3.3%	48,143	51,567	102,637
1932	R	−9.6%	40,376	49,218	92,434
1928	R	−49.8%	20,825	62,793	84,221
1924	R	−52.8%	7,983	46,029	72,101
1920	R	−64.1%	9,491	48,102	60,258
1916	R	−34.3%	19,496	41,564	64,249
1912	O	+5.9%	10,870	8,681	37,207
1908	R	−33.6%	11,200	23,825	37,595
1904	R	−47.1%	7,803	24,336	35,073
1900	R	−32.9%	12,128	24,612	37,932
1896	R	−34.0%	11,902	24,662	37,502
1892	R	−17.3%	12,379	17,993	32,397
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

26.4%

Irish

12.9%

English

9.3%

Italian

5.7%

Polish

3.9%

American

3.4%

Scottish

0.9%

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: 40.9 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.9%

85+

1.7%

2.6%

75–84

3.1%

5.5%

65–74

5.9%

6.6%

55–64

6.8%

5.9%

45–54

5.9%

35–44

5.9%

6.0%

25–34

6.0%

4.5%

18–24

4.3%

8.6%

5–17

8.2%

2.9%

2.7%

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

Median household income

2024 inflation-adjusted dollars

$68,987

State Senate District 45 ranks near the middle of US counties.

State Senate District 45$68,987

Illinois$83,390

United States$80,734

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

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

13.8%

Children face moderate poverty.

Children under 1819.4%

Working age (18–64)12.4%

Seniors (65+)9.4%

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

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

87.7%

speak English only

Spanish8.5%

Other Indo-European1.7%

Asian & Pacific Islander1.1%

Other languages0.8%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Catholic & Orthodox

24.0%

Other Christian

11.3%

Mainline Protestant

7.2%

Pentecostal & Holiness

4.5%

Methodist

4.0%

Baptist

2.2%

Non-Christian

1.3%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 45.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

With a 2024 presidential margin of R+52.3, this district sits far outside the statewide Democratic baseline, reflecting a largely rural or small-city electorate whose preferences diverge sharply from Chicago-area population centers.

The Democratic margin in Illinois 45th State Senate District has rarely exceeded nine points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded sixty-four points. 2024 delivered the district to the Republican candidate by nine points.

Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most districts. A 73% non-Hispanic-white share, a 14% poverty rate, and a median household income of $68,987 — 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 Senate District 45, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/17045/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did State Senate District 45, Illinois vote in 2024?

In 2024, State Senate District 45, Illinois voted Republican by 8.5 points (R+9), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 176,073 votes cast, 78,937 went Democratic and 93,934 went Republican.

What is State Senate District 45, Illinois's political archetype?

Akashic classifies State Senate District 45, Illinois as a "Bellwether" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 4 times, Republican 29 times, and other 1 times.

When did State Senate District 45, Illinois last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 45, Illinois voted Democratic was 2012.

How many people live in State Senate District 45, Illinois?

State Senate District 45, Illinois has a population of 385,198 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 45, Illinois?

Median household income in State Senate District 45, Illinois is $68,987 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.

What is the political history of State Senate District 45, Illinois?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State Senate District 45, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 4 went Democratic and 29 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.

Illinois 45th State Senate District delivered R+9 in 2024.

Key facts

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions