Illinois, Illinois: Urban anchor state. In 2024, voted D+11%. Republican peak: R+42 in 1920.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+11MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Urban anchorAkashic typology
- Population
- 12,694,7982024 5-year
- Median household income
- $83,3902024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 61.0%2024 5-year
- Black
- 13.6%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 18.8%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+25 in 2008MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+42 in 1920MIT Election Lab
Browse all of Illinois
Constituent county margins for Illinois, ILOne 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 | 3,062,864 | 2,449,079 | 5,633,311 | ||
| D | 3,471,915 | 2,446,891 | 6,051,510 | ||
| D | 3,090,729 | 2,146,015 | 5,595,279 | ||
| D | 3,019,512 | 2,135,216 | 5,251,432 | ||
| D | 3,419,348 | 2,031,179 | 5,522,371 | ||
| D | 2,891,550 | 2,345,946 | 5,274,322 | ||
| D | 2,589,026 | 2,019,421 | 4,742,123 | ||
| D | 2,341,744 | 1,587,021 | 4,311,391 | ||
| D | 2,453,350 | 1,734,096 | 5,050,157 | ||
| R | 2,215,940 | 2,310,939 | 4,559,120 | ||
| R | 2,086,499 | 2,707,103 | 4,819,088 | ||
| R | 1,981,413 | 2,358,049 | 4,749,721 | ||
| R | 2,271,295 | 2,364,269 | 4,718,833 | ||
| R | 1,913,472 | 2,788,179 | 4,723,236 | ||
| R | 2,039,814 | 2,174,774 | 4,619,749 | ||
| D | 2,796,833 | 1,905,946 | 4,702,841 | ||
| D | 2,377,846 | 2,368,988 | 4,757,409 | ||
| R | 1,775,682 | 2,623,327 | 4,407,407 | ||
| R | 2,013,920 | 2,457,327 | 4,481,058 | ||
| D | 1,994,715 | 1,961,103 | 3,984,046 | ||
| D | 2,079,479 | 1,939,314 | 4,035,881 | ||
| D | 2,149,934 | 2,047,240 | 4,217,935 | ||
| D | 2,282,999 | 1,570,393 | 3,956,522 | ||
| D | 1,882,304 | 1,432,756 | 3,407,926 | ||
| R | 1,313,817 | 1,769,141 | 3,107,489 | ||
| R | 576,975 | 1,453,321 | 2,470,067 | ||
| R | 534,395 | 1,420,480 | 2,094,714 | ||
| R | 950,229 | 1,152,549 | 2,190,219 | ||
| O | 405,048 | 253,593 | 1,146,173 | ||
| R | 450,810 | 629,932 | 1,155,254 | ||
| R | 327,606 | 632,645 | 1,076,499 | ||
| R | 503,061 | 597,985 | 1,131,898 | ||
| R | 465,613 | 607,130 | 1,090,869 | ||
| D | 426,280 | 399,288 | 873,557 | ||
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Congressional elections · 16 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | O | 0.0% | 41.5% | 4,098,896 |
| 2020 | D | 54.9% | 38.9% | 5,968,901 |
| 2016 | D | 54.9% | 39.8% | 5,491,878 |
| 2014 | D | 53.5% | 42.7% | 3,603,519 |
| 2010 | R | 46.4% | 48.0% | 3,704,473 |
| 2008 | D | 67.8% | 28.5% | 5,329,884 |
| 2004 | D | 70.0% | 27.0% | 5,141,520 |
| 2002 | D | 60.3% | 38.0% | 3,486,851 |
| 1998 | R | 47.4% | 50.3% | 3,394,521 |
| 1996 | D | 56.1% | 40.7% | 4,250,722 |
| 1992 | D | 53.3% | 43.1% | 4,939,558 |
| 1990 | D | 65.1% | 34.9% | 3,251,005 |
| 1986 | D | 65.1% | 33.7% | 3,122,883 |
| 1984 | D | 50.1% | 48.2% | 4,787,335 |
| 1980 | D | 56.0% | 42.5% | 4,580,029 |
| 1978 | R | 45.5% | 53.3% | 3,184,764 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
16.1%
Irish
10.6%
English
6.9%
Polish
6.0%
Italian
5.4%
American
3.3%
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: 39.1 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
$83,390
Illinois ranks near the middle of US counties.
Illinois$83,390
Illinois$83,390
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
11.8%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1815.3%
Working age (18–64)10.9%
Seniors (65+)11.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
75.9%
speak English only
Spanish14.0%
Other Indo-European5.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander3.1%
Other languages1.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 49.2% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Illinois is a political anchor of the Upper Midwest. Its population of 12,694,798 and its concentration of urban, diverse, and college-educated voters have made it a Democratic stronghold for decades running.
The Democratic margin in Illinois has been steady. It reached its modern peak at twenty-five points in 2008; the 2024 margin was eleven points, still in line with the state's long pattern.
Its political identity is inseparable from its demographic profile: a 61% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $83,390, and the full diversity of a major metropolitan center.
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.
Illinois, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/state/IL/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Illinois, Illinois vote in 2024?
In 2024, Illinois, Illinois voted Democratic by 10.9 points (D+11), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 5,633,311 votes cast, 3,062,864 went Democratic and 2,449,079 went Republican.
What is Illinois, Illinois's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Illinois, Illinois as a "Urban anchor" state based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the state has voted Democratic 17 times, Republican 16 times, and other 1 times.
When did Illinois, Illinois last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Illinois, Illinois voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in Illinois, Illinois?
Illinois, Illinois has a population of 12,694,798 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Illinois, Illinois?
Median household income in Illinois, Illinois is $83,390 — above the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Illinois, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Illinois, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 17 went Democratic and 16 went Republican. The state's archetype — "Urban anchor" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.