State Senate District 51 State Senate District (IL) — Elections 1876–2024

Illinois 51st State Senate District, Illinois: Republican loyalist district. In 2024, voted R+18%. Republican peak: R+27 in 1928.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: R+18MIT Election Lab
Political archetype: Republican loyalistAkashic typology
Population: 349,6572024 5-year
Median household income: $63,5182024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 78.3%2024 5-year
Black: 8.7%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 5.7%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+17 in 1932MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+27 in 1928MIT Election Lab

2024 results by constituent county

14 counties · 1 D · 13 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	−17.7%	62,918	90,591	156,748
2020	R	−16.6%	66,879	94,304	165,406
2016	R	−17.1%	59,930	86,881	158,041
2012	R	−13.0%	62,225	81,355	147,281
2008	D	+2.2%	78,743	75,349	156,928
2004	R	−13.7%	66,926	88,372	156,770
2000	R	−8.0%	63,755	75,238	144,353
1996	D	+3.2%	62,477	58,082	135,678
1992	D	+8.2%	69,191	56,232	157,215
1988	R	−9.2%	62,867	75,662	139,435
1984	R	−24.7%	56,549	93,883	151,150
1980	R	−23.7%	50,732	86,551	151,070
1976	R	−7.8%	68,197	79,933	150,605
1972	R	−25.1%	55,536	93,007	149,067
1968	R	−17.9%	51,426	77,039	143,471
1964	D	+8.6%	79,609	66,976	146,585
1960	R	−18.7%	60,790	88,853	150,113
1956	R	−25.2%	53,618	89,815	143,557
1952	R	−24.3%	54,759	89,972	144,947
1948	R	−10.1%	53,773	66,045	121,331
1944	R	−11.2%	57,847	72,578	131,170
1940	R	−4.7%	74,345	81,715	157,022
1936	D	+9.2%	81,209	67,411	150,441
1932	D	+17.3%	78,256	54,871	135,198
1928	R	−27.1%	44,069	77,068	121,841
1924	R	−19.5%	39,522	61,624	113,415
1920	R	−22.9%	40,780	66,113	110,758
1916	R	−3.2%	57,773	61,717	124,232
1912	D	+12.0%	27,237	19,349	65,765
1908	R	−10.2%	29,381	36,382	68,783
1904	R	−18.7%	23,382	35,109	62,767
1900	R	−6.6%	29,798	34,124	65,646
1896	R	−5.4%	29,604	33,029	63,674
1892	R	−1.9%	25,370	26,432	55,511
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

19.7%

English

11.0%

Irish

10.0%

American

5.6%

Italian

2.1%

Polish

1.4%

French

1.2%

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: 36.8 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.8%

85+

1.3%

2.2%

75–84

2.9%

4.8%

65–74

5.4%

5.9%

55–64

5.9%

5.6%

45–54

5.2%

6.1%

35–44

5.8%

6.5%

25–34

6.1%

7.8%

18–24

7.2%

7.7%

5–17

7.3%

2.7%

2.6%

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

Median household income

2024 inflation-adjusted dollars

$63,518

State Senate District 51 ranks near the middle of US counties.

State Senate District 51$63,518

Illinois$83,390

United States$80,734

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

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

16.3%

Children face moderate poverty.

Children under 1816.3%

Working age (18–64)16.7%

Seniors (65+)9.8%

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

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

89.3%

speak English only

Spanish3.7%

Asian & Pacific Islander3.4%

Other Indo-European3.2%

Other languages0.4%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Other Christian

15.2%

Catholic & Orthodox

9.6%

Methodist

4.9%

Baptist

4.9%

Mainline Protestant

4.3%

Pentecostal & Holiness

3.0%

Non-Christian

0.8%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 57.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

District 51 recorded a 64.7-point Republican presidential margin in 2024, placing it among the state's most politically lopsided senate districts. Its population of roughly 217,000 reflects a predominantly rural or exurban constituency far removed from the Chicago metro's competitive corridors.

The Republican margin in Illinois 51st State Senate District reached its widest at twenty-seven points in 1928. The margin in 2024 was eighteen points, in line with the district's deep historical pattern.

Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $63,518, a 78% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 349,657 together describe a district whose political habits are deeply settled.

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 51, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/17051/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did State Senate District 51, Illinois vote in 2024?

In 2024, State Senate District 51, Illinois voted Republican by 17.7 points (R+18), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 156,748 votes cast, 62,918 went Democratic and 90,591 went Republican.

What is State Senate District 51, Illinois's political archetype?

Akashic classifies State Senate District 51, Illinois as a "Republican loyalist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 7 times, Republican 27 times, and other 0 times.

When did State Senate District 51, Illinois last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 51, Illinois voted Democratic was 2008.

How many people live in State Senate District 51, Illinois?

State Senate District 51, Illinois has a population of 349,657 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 51, Illinois?

Median household income in State Senate District 51, Illinois is $63,518 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.

What is the political history of State Senate District 51, Illinois?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State Senate District 51, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 7 went Democratic and 27 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Republican loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.

Illinois 51st State Senate District delivered R+18 in 2024 — Republican for decades.

Key facts

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions